SON commits to deploying ICT for efficiency

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has expressed its commitment to the effective deployment of information and communication technology towards becoming a high performing agency.

This was one of the outcomes of the organisation’s strategic management retreat held in Calabar, Cross Rivers State, during which the agency committed to giving automation of its services, high priority.

In a communique issued at the end of the retreat, the Director General, SON, Farouk Salim, stated that the organisation had also developed its strategic plan for 2021 to 2024 to guide its programmes and actions geared towards achieving its set goals and targets.

The agency, according to the communique, would consider the adoption of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System to fully automate and integrate its operations nationwide in order to achieve more effective and efficient service delivery.

Salim stated that SON would institute an efficient, open, transparent and effective performance measuring mechanism, as well as a reward and sanctions programme to ensure accountability and consequence management, stressing that a staff recognition and reward programme would be put in place before the end of 2021.

SON, he said, would strengthen its supervisory role over its stakeholders to ensure that all its certified products deliver value for money to consumers while also tracking manufacturers and importers that use fake SON certification marks, as well as logo for prosecution.

On enforcement of standards, the SON Chief Executive stated that the agency had resolved to adopt additional approaches including data analytics, risk-based assessment, outcome-focused regulation, collaborative, coordinated and proactive enforcement among others.

Salim expressed SON’s commitment to the effective implementation of the National Quality Policy recently approved by the Federal Executive Council, as well as the Nigerian National Standardization Strategy to provide adequate support for economic development.

Other strategic decisions according to the communique include, having a 21st century work environment that is conducive and digital enabling, geared at maximizing the potentials of the employees towards achieving the goals and strategic objectives of the Agency and its staff. Furthermore, the agency resolved to ensure the attachment of SON staff to established National Metrology Institutes and testing laboratories outside the country for further exposure, as well as maintain established procedure for the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme for locally manufactured products.