The federal government has inaugurated the governing board of Standard Organisation of Nigeria in its efforts to boost industrial growth and attract investment.

Trade minister Jumoke Oduwole, who inaugurated the board in Abuja on Thursday, congratulated the new board members, describing their appointment as timely for Nigeria’s economic transformation.

Ms Oduwole said the board’s inauguration aligned with government efforts to strengthen industrialisation, attract investments and expand value chains under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

She noted that the recent World Bank endorsement of government reforms reflected growing global confidence, while expectations from SON were high in delivering measurable economic outcomes.

According to her, the SON Act mandates the board to promote quality standards, enhance industrial growth and support competitiveness of Nigerian products within the African Continental Free Trade Area and global markets.

She acknowledged the challenges affecting production, including infrastructure deficits, security concerns and operational bottlenecks, and assured that government was addressing them through coordinated reforms and policies.

The minister urged the board to strengthen oversight, close implementation gaps and ensure locally produced, imported, and exported goods that would meet international standards to enhance competitiveness.

Ms Oduwole underlined collaboration between the governing board and the SON management, adding that effective synergy would improve productivity, boost exports and create jobs across key sectors of the economy.

Ms Oduwole expressed confidence that the new board would contribute meaningfully to the ongoing reforms and accelerate Nigeria’s industrialisation drive through innovation, discipline, and strategic leadership. She, however, wished the members a productive tenure focused on delivering tangible results for economic growth and national development.

Deputy minister John Enoh said the upcoming Nigeria Industrial Policy would place greater responsibility on SON to ensure product quality and competitiveness in local and international markets.

Mr Enoh said that Nigeria’s ambition to become an industrial hub required strong standards enforcement to enable locally manufactured products compete with foreign goods and reduce the influx of counterfeit products. He urged collaboration between the board and management, adding that unity and adherence to the SON Act would help achieve government expectations and strengthen Nigeria’s industrial growth.

(NAN)