A new e-certification platform has been unveiled by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON). The goal of the platform is to integrate the agency’s e-certificate into the Nigeria Integrated Customs Information System (NICIS).
Explaining the new platform, Dr. Joseph Odumodu, Director General of SON, said the move will ease trade facilitation and protect the clearance of cargoes at the port, while also seeking ways to minimise and possibly eliminate faking of SON’s certifcate.
According to him, the initiative would also create a collaborative environment for government agencies to share real time information on national security, planning and compilation of national statistics.
“Today’s occasion is for the enhancement of SON’s e-clearance processes. We are witnessing the integration of SON’s e-product certificate and SONCAP certificate which are now being tied to the relevant processes for the generation of form M and generation of PARR which are key for clearance of goods at the port,” he added.
“The integration will simplify trading, because in the past, you will need to get your manual certificate and later go to the bank, wasting man-hours. This platform is time saving and we are on the trade portal where you can see all the relevant regulations and the requirement of SON, check your certificate and also activate your certificate. In the course of generating your form M, you can also attach your certificate,” he said.
He described the integration of SON’s e-certificates as part of the sensitisation programme that are ongoing in the media to sensitise the general public on the agency’s recent developments to safeguard lives and property in the country.
Aber Benjamin, Comptroller, Information, Communication Department, Nigeria Customs Service, described the programme as a completion of one of the very important processes to help surmount the challenges traders undergo when bringing in imports.
“We all know that there are cases of substandard goods in the country. Obtaining certificates to show that these goods have been approved by the SON and other regulatory enforcement agencies in Nigeria is apt in the nation’s quest to address influx of substandard goods,” Benjamin said.
