By Aliyu Galadima
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Doris Anite, on Tuesday, decried the consumption of substandard and counterfeit goods in Nigeria and Africa in general.
Africa has over 1.2 billion consumers, with a projection to reach 1.7 billion by 2030.
Consumer expenditure in Africa peaked at $1.4tn in 2015, growing at a compound annual rate of 3.9 per cent since 2010, and is predicted to hit $2.5tn by 2030.
Anite, at the 11th African Day of Standardisation, with the theme “Empowering Consumers through Standardisation to Achieve their Rights to Safe Quality Goods and Services” in Abuja, called for stringent national awareness to address the African consumer crisis.
She said, “Consumers in Africa are faced with several challenges emanating from Misleading advertisements, reproach from service providers, counterfeit products, unsafe items, substandard services, inadequate information or transparency, and safety hazards associated with overpriced offerings”.
Anite said these challenges exist despite the implementation of standards across the African continent which includes the Standards Organisation of Nigeria ,SON, and the African Organisation for Standardisation ,ARSO.
She said it was imperative to establish an enabling environment for consumers to thrive.
“Standardisation plays a vital role in ensuring that goods and services meet internationally recognized quality benchmarks, building consumer trust, enhancing market access, and driving export growth.
“It promotes innovation by providing a framework for the adoption of advanced technologies and best practices, enabling businesses to compete on a global scale.
“Standardisation also ensures that consumers are protected from substandard products and services.
“The Nigerian government has also implemented policies and programs to establish an enabling environment for consumers to thrive. Initiatives like consumer protection programs, have streamlined bureaucratic processes, eliminated bottlenecks, and improved the welfare of consumers”, said the minister.
Also speaking the Director General Standards Organisation of Nigeria ,SON, Dr. Ifeanyi Okeke said the year’s theme focuses on “Rights of Consumers in Nigeria”, alongside the global opportunity for the standardisation community.
The rights according to SON DG, are access to basic goods and services necessary for survival; protection from hazardous products or services; information about products and services; freedom to choose from a variety of quality products and services; voice a complaint about a product or service and consumer education and representation.
Noting that Nigeria remains a major player in commerce and trade across the African continent, Okeke pledge to provide the much-needed standardisation platform to both manufacturers and consumers alike to catalyze the African Continent Free Trade Agreement ,AfCFTA, free flow of goods and services across the continent for global market positioning.
The DG said, “We at SON are contributing our quota to curtail the adverse effects of trade imbalances through advocacy, social interaction, cultural integration, consumer protection and many other aspects of trade and commerce in the interest of our dear nation.
“Standardisation is crucial for consumers to access safe and quality goods and services. In the spirit of transparency and openness as key principles of global standardisation activity, our standardisation procedure ensures inclusiveness and active participation of consumers in standards elaboration.
“Further to establish what consumers want from products and services, their participation in standards development improves consumer responsiveness to products and services.
“At SON, we recognize the importance of empowering consumers through standardisation. We have established a dedicated desk to address consumers’ unique challenges and ensure their concerns are given the attention they deserve.
“Consumers, being end-users of goods and services require rights that serve as a means of protecting them from exploitation, therefore, Standardisation is a tool of consumer empowerment against violating consumer rights.
“It is worthy of note that through the efforts of our MANCAP and SONCAP Schemes, Product Authentication Mark ,PAM, Market Surveillance, Laboratory Services, Factory Inspection, Enforcement, Port and Border Operations, amongst others, we have witnessed a significant rise in the number of consumers accessing quality goods and services”.
