The Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) has said that it received four international management systems certifications from the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies.
The Director-General, SON, Osita Aboloma, in a statement said the four standards were; ISO Quality Management System, Environmental Management System, Occupational Health and Safety Management System and Food Safety Management System).
He added that with the accreditation, SON Management System Certification was determined to ensure continual improvement in service delivery, given the global recognition that the accreditation confers.
Aboloma stated that the NABCB was approached in 2017 for accreditation, maintaining that the agency’s steadfastness in ensuring safety of lives through standards, made it possible for SON to receive the certification a year later, a feat he described as a great milestone achieved in record time.
He said, “Our positions on the NABCB register for the various schemes are as follows: We are 38th in QMS, 10th in EMS, 15th in FSMS and seventh in OHSMS.”
According to him, accreditation is vital for businesses’ quest to achieve growth and profitability in Nigeria, adding that accreditation also helps businesses compete at the global level.
The SON helmsman said choosing an accredited certification body gave confidence that services offered met clients’ requirements, stressing that the use of accredited conformity assessment services was increasingly a stipulation of customers in both the public and private sectors.
“Through the formal arrangements of accreditation bodies, the likelihood of smooth access to overseas markets for companies using accredited certification is increased, since certificates issued by bodies that are accredited by an IAF/MLA signatory are recognized and accepted throughout the world,” he said.
According to him, accreditation keeps activities under control with the help of knowledge transfer since accredited certification bodies can be a good source of impartial advice, stressing that it can also offer market differentiation and leadership by showing to others, credible evidence of good practice.
He pointed out that by meeting internationally-recognized policies and procedures on a regular basis, competence in performing conformity assessment activities was highlighted.
