Nigeria has secured international recognition for its measurement standards after the Standards Organisation of Nigeria signed a global arrangement.

SON’s director-general, Ifeanyi Okeke, said this in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Ethan Talatu, on Wednesday.

Mr Okeke signed the Mutual Recognition Arrangement of the International Committee for Weights and Measures on behalf of Nigeria in France. According to him, the development follows Nigeria’s admission as an Associate State of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures on June 4, 2026.

Mr Okeke said the arrangement would promote international recognition of Nigeria’s measurement capabilities, global acceptance of its calibration certificates and smoother cross-border trade. He described the arrangement as a significant step towards integrating Nigeria into the international measurement system.

“The CIPM MRA provides a framework for national metrology institutes to demonstrate the equivalence of their measurement standards and secure international recognition for calibration and measurement certificates. Its main outputs, internationally recognised Calibration and Measurement Capabilities, are published in the BIPM Key Comparison Database,” he said.

The SON boss also said that it would reduce dependence on foreign metrology services, strengthen the organisation’s technical authority and create opportunities for international scientific collaboration and capacity building. He said Nigeria had become a full member of the BIPM, joining Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia as Africa’s full member states.

He noted that the achievement built on the accreditation of three national metrology institute laboratories covering mass, temperature and pressure to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 through the Egyptian Accreditation Council.

The development coincides with Mr Okeke’s third anniversary as SON director-general, during which the agency had pursued digital transformation to improve service delivery. SON introduced the Digital Standards Platform, e-MANCAP and the Electronic Product Registration System, while moving SONCAP and import permit processes to the National Single Window.

The reforms earned SON second place among federal ministries, departments and agencies in the 2024 Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) Transparency and Efficiency Report.

For manufacturers and small businesses, the international recognition means products can be tested locally and trusted abroad, potentially reducing the cost of using foreign laboratories. SON has also certified 131 companies and 220 products under the African Quality Mark, supporting Nigerian producers seeking access to markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The agency inaugurated the Nigerian National Standardisation Strategy (2024-2027) and secured approval for 217 Nigerian Industrial Standards. SON has also developed more than 80 standards for compressed natural gas, supporting the country’s efforts to expand gas-powered transportation.

(NAN)