By Damilola Aina

Nigeria recorded a breakthrough on Monday after the Nigerian National Accreditation System secured international recognition, allowing locally certified products to be accepted in over 140 countries—a development expected to sharply reduce export rejection and save the economy millions of dollars in foreign exchange.

With the new status, certificates issued by NINAS-accredited laboratories, inspection bodies, and certification bodies will now carry globally trusted marks from the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation, International Accreditation Forum, and the African Accreditation Cooperation under its Mutual Recognition Arrangement.

The PUNCH reports that only eight accreditation bodies have attained this level of global acceptance, placing Nigeria among the continent’s quality assurance leaders.

The recognition caps nearly 15 years of reforms under the National Quality Policy and elevates Nigeria’s National Quality Infrastructure to a globally aligned system capable of supporting exporters, MSMEs, and manufacturers seeking to access new markets.

Speaking at the launch in Abuja, Director-General of NINAS, Celestine Okanya, said the achievement directly addresses one of Nigeria’s biggest export headaches: massive rejection of goods, especially food products, in Europe and America due to non-recognition of local testing.

He said exporters who use NINAS-accredited conformity assessment bodies “can technically achieve zero rejection,” as destination countries will no longer require retesting or impose extra charges.

“With NINAS now internationally recognised, exporters who use accredited laboratories and certification bodies can technically achieve zero rejection, as foreign authorities will accept their certificates without retesting or additional charges. Nigeria’s upgraded quality system ensures that products and services meet the requirements of both domestic consumers and destination markets.

“Any manufacturer using NINAS-accredited labs will receive certificates accepted in more than 140 countries. This removes major barriers stopping Nigerian products from entering Europe, America, and Asia,” Okanya said.

Credit: punchng.com