Nigeria Strengthens Global Trade With International Recognition Of NINAS

… Accreditation To Eliminate Export Barriers, Strengthen MSMEs

Nigeria has taken a significant leap toward strengthening its position in global trade with the international accreditation and recognition of the Nigeria National Accreditation System (NINAS) under the African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA), as well as the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).

The milestone celebrated on Monday at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, marks a major turning point for the country’s National Quality Infrastructure (NQI), with far-reaching implications for export competitiveness, foreign exchange savings, and the growth of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Hosted by the National Quality Council (NQC), the event brought together key government officials, international development partners, business leaders, and specialists in the quality assurance ecosystem.

The achievement is the result of sustained reforms and capacity building under the Nigerian National Quality Policy (NNQP), aimed at enhancing Nigeria’s global competitiveness by strengthening standardisation, metrology, accreditation, conformity assessment, and market surveillance.

In his opening remarks, Chairman/Chief Executive of the NQC, Osita Aboloma, described NINAS’ global accreditation as “a great testimony to Nigeria’s pioneering efforts to build a credible, globally aligned quality infrastructure that meets international requirements.”

Aboloma said the development aligns closely with President Bola Tinubu’s economic diversification agenda, noting that a fully functioning and internationally recognised quality infrastructure is vital to unlocking new export opportunities and boosting industrial capacity.

“The effective implementation of the Nigerian National Quality Policy is a sure pathway to increased global competitiveness, huge savings in foreign exchange from patronage of competent, globally recognised local quality infrastructure services, enhanced human capacity development and job creation,” Aboloma said.

According to him, the global recognition means that any Nigerian laboratory, certification body or inspection body accredited by NINAS will now have its certificates accepted internationally.

This eliminates the costly and time-consuming need for exporters to seek duplicate assessments abroad, often paid for in scarce foreign currency.

“This recognition means that if a Nigerian lab is accredited by NINAS, the accreditation will be recognised all over the world,” he said.

“It will save the country millions of dollars in foreign exchange, which exporters and manufacturers previously spent in countries like Norway and the Netherlands for compliance assessments.”

Aboloma added that the development is particularly significant for MSMEs and non-oil exporters, who face steep technical barriers to trade due to stringent global standards.

“This is not only for large manufacturers,” he said. “Accreditation cuts across all spheres of trade, including small- and medium-scale entrepreneurs. With NINAS’ new status, the barriers that limit access to foreign markets, especially for food processors and agricultural producers, will now be significantly reduced.”

The Director-General of NINAS, Celestine Okanya, reinforced the importance of the achievement, saying that no country can develop sustainably without trading competitively in global markets.

“For you to trade, your products must meet the quality requirements of your consumers and your destination markets,” Okanya said.

“What we have done as a country is to strengthen a quality system that ensures that products and services that leave Nigeria meet both domestic and international requirements.”

He explained that certificates issued by NINAS-accredited bodies will now be accepted in over 140 countries, dramatically improving the export prospects of Nigerian products.

“In the whole of Africa, only eight accreditation bodies have achieved what we have achieved,” he said. “We are the eighth, and this places Nigeria in a new position within the continent’s quality assurance landscape.”

Addressing persistent concerns about the high rate of rejection of Nigerian exports, particularly food products, in global markets, Okanya said the new accreditation status has the potential to reduce such rejections to the barest minimum.

“I don’t want to say there will be zero rejection, but technically yes if our producers and manufacturers use NINAS-accredited labs and certification bodies,” he said.

“If a product is tested in a non-accredited lab, foreign authorities will retest it or reject it outright. But if it bears the NINAS and ILAC logos, they will accept it without retesting.”

NINAS’ global breakthrough was achieved with significant backing from the UK government through the UK-Nigeria Standards Partnership Programme implemented by the British Standards Institution (BSI), with support from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the UK Department for Business and Trade.

Speaking at the event, Hannah Barbosa, the UK’s Director of Trade Policy and Market Access for Africa, said the achievement is a “game changer” for Nigeria.

“International recognition of NINAS under AFRAC, ILAC and IAF frameworks will reduce technical barriers to trade, enhance investor confidence and unlock opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),” she said.

Barbosa highlighted that the recognition strengthens Nigeria’s attractiveness for investors in manufacturing, renewable energy, food processing and technology sectors, where adherence to global standards is critical.