International Standards, Tools For Economic Growth – SON

L-R: Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina; President, African Development Bank, Dr Donald Kaberuka and President Goodluck Jonathan, at the 9th Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja, recently. Photo: NAN

The President of African
Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO), Dr Joseph Odumodu, said on Sunday that the application of International Standards was a powerful tool to spur economic growth.
Odumodu, who is also the Director-General, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), said this in a statement issued in Abuja to commemorate the “World Standard Day’’ scheduled for October 14.
“International Standards are powerful tools to lead positive change by detailing specifications that can open up global markets, create enabling business environments and spur economic growth.
“International standards represent the consensus view of the world’s leading experts in industry sectors ranging from energy utilities and efficiency to transportation, climate change, safety as well as ICT.’’
The statement noted that standards supported economic growth in developing countries such as Nigeria, by outlining best practices that enabled them to avoid “reinventing the wheel’’.
It stressed that standards were becoming increasingly important in helping cities develop more intelligent and sustainable infrastructure and making them better places to live.
Odumodu said international standards also helped in ensuring that products, services and environments became more accessible to persons with disabilities.
According to the statement, international standards served as tools to help reduce climate change by improving energy efficiency and decreasing waste as well as green house gas emissions.
It stated that SON as the representative of the international standardisation bodies in Nigeria would continue to propagate the global standards.
That, it stated, was being done through the adoption and adaptation for local use in all sectors, trainings, consumer enlightenment activities and the certification of products, systems and processes.