Osinbajo to flag-off SON virtual open day with MSMEs nationwide

The Vice President,  Professor Yemi Osinbajo is set to declare open a Virtual Open Day with Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria put together by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) on Tuesday,  November 16, 2021. A statement from the Office of the Director General, SON,  Mallam Farouk Salim disclosed the theme of the virtual open day programme as “Improving Product Quality through Standards”. According to the statement, about five hundred MSMEs from different sectors across the country have confirmed there participation in the programme.

The Minister of State for Industry,  Trade and Investment,  Ambassador Maryam Katagum is scheduled to welcome participants while Chief Executives of sister regulatory agencies like SMEDAN, BOI, NEPC, NIPC, CAC etc will give goodwill messages at the opening ceremony, according to Mallam Salim. The statement enumerated that the technical sessions of the programme will be divided into five sections for different sectoral groups to address common issues of concern and proffer workable solutions to identified challenges of theo MSMEs as relates to Standards availability, understanding and implementation with a view to promoting greater competitiveness of their products to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA).

The SON Chief Executive stated further that the programme is the first in the series of many others to ensure greater and more regular interactive platforms between the organisation and its stakeholders. Mallam Salim enjoined all MSME Groups across the country to mobilise their members to participate actively in order to reap the immense benefits of the interactive sessions.