Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has developed a product authentication mark to check the influx of substandard manufactured and imported products in the Nigerian market.
SON director-general, Farouk Salim, disclosed this yesterday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, while speaking at a stakeholders’ forum on product authentication mark (PAM).
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Salim, who described PAM as one of the organisation’s initiatives to allow consumers to verify the authenticity of all SON regulated products in the market, expressed the hope that the mark will help to address the presence of substandard products in the country.
He said, “This is one of the initiatives of the organisation to enable consumers to verify the authenticity of all SON regulated products in the market. It will also address the challenges of the presence of substandard products in Nigeria.
“The organisation is empowered by the provisions of the SON Act 2015, to amongst other things, facilitate trade and to ensure that all imported and manufactured products meet the requirements of the relevant standards thereby promoting public safety, improve the lives and security of citizens and also, to protect our industries.
“In line with this mandate, the organization, over the years, has substantially reduced the importation, manufacturing and distribution of substandard products in the country through its mandatory conformity assessment and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria conformity assessment.
“Despite the efforts of the organisation, substandard products are still imported and distributed in the country through smuggling and the use of SON stickers in non-certified products illegally, among others.”