NQC and BSI Drive Capacity Building for Stakeholders to Boost Nigeria’s National Quality Policy Implementation

Collaborative Brainstorming: Stakeholders engage in an intensive brainstorming session during the SPP workshop for laboratory stakeholders in Abuja.

The National Quality Council (NQC), in collaboration with the British Standards Institute (BSI), recently hosted a “Train the Trainers” workshop to empower Nigerian stakeholders with critical data-gathering skills necessary for implementing the Nigeria National Quality Policy (NNQP). This initiative is part of the Standards Partnership Programme (SPP) supported by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

In his opening remarks, NQC Chairman/Chief Executive, Osita Aboloma, represented by his Chief of Staff, Bola R. Fashina, emphasized the importance of the NNQP in enhancing Nigeria’s quality infrastructure (QI). He noted that the workshop was designed to ensure stakeholders take ownership of the policy, leveraging accurate data to drive implementation strategies effectively.

“The SPP provides an invaluable platform for Nigerian stakeholders to benefit from international expertise while positioning the nation for competitive advantage within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA),” Aboloma said. He further highlighted the need to strengthen QI pillars such as Standards, Accreditation, Metrology, and Conformity Assessment, which are critical to the global competitiveness of Made-in-Nigeria products.

Mike Peet, the workshop’s lead facilitator, described the initiative as a milestone in identifying gaps within Nigeria’s quality infrastructure. He urged stakeholders to utilize insights from the training to support NNQP implementation on a larger scale, underscoring Nigeria’s leadership role in Africa’s quality infrastructure development. Peet commended the diverse participation, which included representatives from the public and private sectors, and emphasized the need for participants to cascade their knowledge to others for broader impact.

Public sector participants included officials from the NQC, Federal Ministries of Industry, Trade, and Agriculture, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), NAFDAC, NEPC, and other key agencies. The private sector was well-represented by organizations like the Nigeria National Accreditation Service (NiNAS), Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), and Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG), among others.

The workshop was a follow-up to the second phase of the SPP, which commenced in September 2023. Activities under this phase aim to align Nigeria’s quality infrastructure with global standards, facilitating seamless trade between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.