Quality Times Vol II (Issue 3) 12.2015

A QUARTERLY NEWSLET TER PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL QUALIT Y INFRASTRUC TURE PROJEC T - A PROJEC T FUNDED BY EUROPEAN UNION’S 10 TH EDF PROGRAMME FOR NIGERIA

QUALITY TIMES

DEC EM BER 2 0 1 5 VOLUME II (Issue 3)

EDI TO R I A L NOTE S Quality – A Value-Added Progression

IN THIS ISSUE

T

he concept of quality in production processes is a hot topic among individuals from every station of life. Quality addresses those changes that build added value into the socio-economic demands for progress. The NQI Project is alert to the relevance of technical competence and regulatory incentives as bridges to reach quality production of high value finished goods from Nigeria for export.

EDITORIAL NOTES

NEWS AND FEATURES

In the past months, much effort has been put into raising the level of competence required by operators and other professionals involved in production processes in Nigeria. In particular, the training programmes on how to apply relevant ISO standards needed to correct the failings of existing industry practices have informed the main capacity building interventions.

SYNERGIES: WAQSP AND FMITI

GALLERY AND EVENTS

Within an exclusive dialogue, public and private sector expectations are reflected based on their approach to assessing conformity in the industrial sector to acceptable standards of practice. Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) and the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) are two institutions caught up within the rapidly expanding sectoral interest in the business of certification.

This area is reported to have a commercial potential that is worth billions of Naira with market access for both start-ups and established business.

SPECIAL NOTICE TO LABS

TOOLS AND RESOURCES

Quality infrastructure is hardly an abstract system. A conduit of excellence demonstration model was designed for Nigeria in August 2015. This conduit of excellence will be put to use as a ‘farm to export’ mechanism to respond to the export quality challenges in selected value chains – dried beans and leather, being but a few.

A new approach has also been taken towards public information as seen with strengthened partnerships with the media. The fourth estate has the delicate task of educating its audience and also holding up itself as a critical body that is wellinformed and relevant to all of the Government of Nigeria, the Nigerian citizens and corporate interests. In turn, they are well-placed to empower Nigerians to consider topical issues of quality and standards in the production process.

THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION

The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission

THIS PROJECT IS IMPLEMENTED BY UNIDO

NEWS AND F E AT U R E S

NQI Projec t Management Receives the Honourable M inister of State for Industr y, Trade and Investment in Vienna

Project Manager highlighted several existing areas of partnership with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment. Mr. Tavares pledged the continued support of the NQI Project to partner with the Government of Nigeria to ensure that the quality of products and services exchanged in the Nigerian market is improved, through the development of the pillars of quality within the framework of Nigeria’s trade infrastructure.

Accompanied by key officers from her Ministry, Her Excellency Ms. Aisha Abubakar the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment was in Vienna to participate in the 16th General Conference of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation. The event, themed “Sustainable Industrialization for Shared Prosperity”, hosted top-level government representatives from about 134 countries. The Conference also addressed universal promotion of inclusive and sustainable industrial development through innovation hubs, operation of the 2030 Agenda for Africa’s Industrialisation and the UNIDO Strategy for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women. In her statement, Ms. Abubakar emphasised Nigeria’s commitment to collaborate with UNIDO in implementing initiatives in Nigeria to ‘build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation’ in line with the Global Goals Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Prior to her appointment, Ms. Abubakar had risen to the helm of affairs at the Abuja Enterprise Development Agency, after over twenty years of experienced public service delivery in the area of banking and investment and rural enterprise development.

Ms. Abubakar’s area of specialization includes micro, small and medium enterprise development and she has worked with the African Development Bank.

Nigeria is a member of the two main organs of UNIDO, the Industrial Development Board, and the UNIDO Programme and Budget Committee.

The Minister also met with the project management of the UNIDO National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) project at the Vienna International Centre. The team led by Mr. Raymond Tavares, the

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© UNIDO 2015

UNIDO Director General, LI Yong and the Honourable Minister of State at the 16th Session of the UNIDO General Conference in Vienna, Austria

THE QUALITY AND VALUE INTERCHANGE – A DEMONSTRATION MODEL

T H E Q UA LIT Y AND VALUE I NTE RC H A NG E A DEMONSTRATION MODEL

branches of production.

One important governance consensus was reached within the NQI Project in March 2015. The Nigerian institutions collaborating on the implementation supported the request for a demonstration model to test-run Quality Infrastructure systems on selected sectors of the economy. After months of research and consultations, the NQI Value Chain Unit presented its initial findings, and by August 2015 the project governance structure had decided on the sectors to be given priority for the demonstration pilots.

This model calls on every sector to take a hands-on approach to actively manage quality processes needed in the production chain. The stakeholder environment will create alliances among farmers, cooperatives, storage providers, laboratories, processors, other conformity assessment bodies and competent government authorities. Intervention mechanisms will place a focus on harvest

Then the news of the temporary restrictions placed by the European Commission on the export of certain commodities into the EU territory broke in June 2015, and this strengthened the resolve of key Government stakeholders for improved quality of commodities. At issue was the detection of residue limits of Dichlorvos in dried beans above the maximum level recognised as harmful to humans.

From interaction with farmers and agro-based producers, the project has discovered that some of the known weaknesses in the value chain concern coordination issues along the supply chain levels, limited knowledge of production standards or modern methods of production, and inattention to good production practices before and after harvests. When the team visited farming locations in Niger, Katsina, Lagos, Kano, Sokoto, Ilorin and Abia, the small to mid-scale farmers often expressed their helplessness in the face of insurmountable obstacles to placing their produce in the market for a fair value.

management, prohibition of harmful substances, storage practices (silos and warehouses), record keeping, food safety, accreditations, field checks, marketing and quality standards.

The first demonstration pilots will focus on improving the level of quality of the value chains for dried beans, leather, shea butter, and melon seeds. A selection based on criteria such as competition value, policy alignment, contribution to the economy and society, among others.

The NQI Conduit of Excellence model will be rolled out as a demonstration on the 4 selected commodities to resolve the identified issues such as pesticide residues that pose a challenge to the quality of the end-product. It is expected that these pilots will provide a definite response for the Government of Nigeria on its levels of compliance with international standards.

THE NQI CONDUITS OF EXCELLENCE The need to connect key produce infrastructure elements with partners along the value chain who are not only informed, but who are also interested in quality production, appears to be very pressing in this case. For Nigeria, the UNIDO approach makes use of a scalable model for quality-driven production that uses the national quality infrastructure to connect these two disconnected

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Institutions such as the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council and the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control are keen to work with UNIDO to emphasise quality production and value addition for commodities and locally manufactured products.

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NQI Knowledge Series

NQI KNOWLEDGE SERIES Nigerian Food & Beverages Sector : Establishment of Proficiency Testing Scheme One of the requirements for accreditation of laboratories is that the laboratories participate in Proficiency Testing (PT) Schemes. A PT Scheme is a system whereby laboratories are given samples of substances such as milk powder or water which contains a quantity of a contaminant. The contaminant and its concentration are known to the PT provider and the laboratory must use its skills to identify the contaminant and determine its concentration. If the laboratory fails it must seek the source of the failure and correct the problem. It is an excellent means for a laboratory to be more certain that it is preforming quality work.

PRODUCE INFRASTRUCTURE Upsides of proper storage Silo Complexes in Nigeria • Nigeria has the facilities to store massive tons of food to manage large scale waste after harvests, and also distribution in the event of scarcity. Silo complexes have been constructed by the Government of Nigeria and also private industrialists to support the production process.

• Garri, Maize, Millet, Sorghum, Wheat, Cowpea are some of the items that can be stored in Silos.

• The Department of Strategic Grains Reserve in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development manages over 20 silo complexes with a total storage capacity in excess of 1.3 million tons spread across about 12 States of the Federation, as part of the nation’s storage infrastructure.

To date Nigeria does not have its own PT Schemes and therefore laboratories are forced to look outside the country to access PT. Such can be expensive due to the transport of the samples, or not really applicable to local needs.

The NQIP has been working to start a PT Scheme in Nigeria.

Phase 1 activity for establishment of proficiency testing scheme has already begun in Nigeria for Food & Beverage sector, having commenced on 1st to 30th October 2015.

The major activity was to identify the potential PT providers, determine their potential to providing proficiency testing materials in the matrices identified as priority for food and beverages sector, obtaining top management commitment, drawing up a budget and activity planning for the matrices and analytes to be provided.

Source: www.fmard.gov.ng/strategic-grains-reserve

DICHLORVOS

The NQIP is currently working with two potential Scheme providers and once development proceeds to the next stage the providers and the ranges of the scheme (s) will be announced. The Scheme will begin small focusing on the testing of: Flour, Water, Beverages (juice) and Milk products (such as milk powder) and possibly others.

• Dichlorvos (Dimethyl 2,2-dichlorovinyl phosphate or DDVP) is used as a fumigant against insects. Its low vapour pressure makes it unable to penetrate into materials. As a result it is of no value as a commodity fumigant. Dichlorvos is one of the most toxic pesticides putting the safety of humans at risk when exposed daily to over 1 microgramme per litre of Dichlorvos – which is the maximum permissible concentration. Skin absorption, inhalation and ingestion are the three modes of exposure.

Stay tuned to the Quality Times newsletter flashes for developments in the coming three to four months, so that your laboratory can participate in this important quality initiative.

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• Possible effects of over-exposure include disruption of the proper functioning of the nervous system, and other serious effect that may require medical treatment.a• (FAO Manual of fumigation for insect control, 1989)

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SYNERGIES W H E N I N D U S T R Y M E E T S Q UA L I T Y 2013 through the EU-funded Nigeria Competitiveness Support Programme in 2013, when multiple points of access opened up between the Ministry and the National Quality Infrastructure project. A clear indication that there were acute grounds for collaboration on technical assistance and technology transfer.

Nigeria has witnessed a strong history of industrial partnerships with UNIDO since June 1985 – when the country became a UNIDO Member State. As is the practice in other member states, UNIDO promotes its programmes for industrial development through the key government institutions that drive the transition to multi-sectoral industrial growths.

Original discussions involved FMITI institutions like the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria, the Department of Weights and Measures etc. and helped unearth some of the more worrisome impediments to Nigeria’s international trade relevance.

The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment in Nigeria has been charged by the Government of Nigeria with developing the country’s industrial base and competencies – making it the counterpart Ministry for UNIDO’s work in Nigeria.

Since November 2015, its new administration has been set to task under the leadership of HE Mr. Okechukwu Enelamah and HE Ms. Aisha Abubakar, the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment and the Honourable Minister of State, respectively.

Confusion about adoption of standards by businesses and identifying enforcers of trade regulations led to appeals for a national policy to manage the quality demands of industry, businesses and consumers. With that came the discovery that for such demands to be met without question, the check processes in use need also to be acceptable to other countries that trade with Nigeria on an international scale. Close on the heels of this discovery, was the realisation that without accurate methods for measuring quantities and other values, the question of quality could not be convincingly answered locally.

No sooner had UNIDO begun offering technical assistance in

The Private sector business member organisations in Nigeria, also known as the Organised Private Sector or simply OPS, also sought a niche to provide B2B services to check compliance counts with industry and trade rules. Under the watchful eye of the Consumer Protection Council, the probable effects of these activities on consumer causes also had to be checked to prevent acute imbalance between business interests and the consumer voice.

Ms. Aisha Abubakar, H.E. Minister of State at the 2015 UNIDO General Conference in Vienna

ONGOING PARTNERSHIPS ON QUALITY

The Department of Trade has received guidance to reset harmonious interplay among Technical Regulators, with the know-how to connect with the WTO in order to duly run the Enhanced National Focal Point.

In just over two years, distinct technical cooperation interventions by the UNIDO NQI Project are carving new routes to industrialisation using as tools research and best-practice regulations for sector competitiveness and trade efficiency.

Parastatals such as the NEPC and SMEDAN also play a key role in guiding SMEs and big businesses towards innovative and profitable/result or revenue yielding and multiplying production practices that eliminate hazards and other harmful risks to consumers.

The Ministry’s Department of Weights and Measures co-leads the Metrology development intervention with the Standards Organisation of Nigeria.

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria for its own part, has been driving the intervention for Policy Development on Quality, and the NiNAS intervention for starting up domestic accreditation services in Nigeria.

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With the CPC taking the reins on consumer literacy, the tools of regulation and advocacy development, also for consumer associations, are geared towards creating a ready mechanism to empower consumers to secure their rights when needed.

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NEWS AND FEATURES - QUALITY AND SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY

Q ua lit y and S o ci al Accounta b il it y In Nigeria, the NQI Project works closely with its regional sister project, the West African Quality System Programme (WAQSP). This activity-matching is to ensure that the quality systems for Nigeria and West Africa are closely linked and can both support trade advantages for the ECOWAS Member States.

The WAQS Programme works to arrange the regional accreditation system for the ECOWAS region and ensure harmony exists between Nigeria’s National Quality Policy and the ECOWAS Quality Policy which received assent from the ECOWAS Heads of State in Yamoussoukro in 2013. For both programmes, this unity of effort has been evident in UNIDO’s technical and advocacy activities in Nigeria.

To mark the Nigerian national day on October 1, 2015 a joint advocacy programme with the theme ‘Sensitisation Workshop on Concept of Quality in Trade and Industry for Media Professionals in Nigeria’ was held in Minna, Niger State. From 18 local media organisations, 27 professionals tasked with news reporting and programming took part in the four day workshop.

As in all other parts of the world, the Nigerian media industry has a serious task in public enlightenment. For instance, with the technical issues on trade facilitation in Nigeria, production processes used by local manufacturers, and how to apply standards used all over the world; the average Nigerian’s literacy level on these topics often relates directly to how exposed the media is to the issues. Indeed, on the topic of ‘Quality Infrastructure’ and its cultural concepts, the media professionals were occupied with getting answers to these concerns raised at the workshop.

Why is it important for standards used in Nigeria to be associated with international standards?

UNIDO Experts on standards and accreditation helped the participants through a simulation exercise where they pictured a typical scene in a small inhabited section of a town in Kano or Lagos.

What were the regular sights that came to mind – cars and buses, passenger train, streets and roads, rail tracks, bridges, street lights, delivery trucks, warehouses, electricity poles and wiring, houses and bank buildings, telecommunications masts, hand-held devices with pedestrians, clothed people, computing systems in offices and homes, cinema screens and the like?

Over 100 different standards have to be applied for such a scene to work – not counting the standards providing for component bits in the listing.

For example, performance standards are in operation for the

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asphalt and concrete, for the electric cables and electronic equipment. Safety standards operate for vehicles and furniture; and building standards operate for walls and roofs. Personal protection standards operate for clothing and footwear. The ISO 14000 standard takes care of environmental protection. There is also the electro-magnetic compatibility (EMC) standard for wiring computers and laptops. There are items on the listing manufactured in different parts of the world and purchased for use in Nigeria and they need to be able to work in a local setting (interoperability factor).

From this, it was easy to see why standards prepared in Nigeria need to bear a strong link to international standards.

How should an accreditation system work in Nigeria?

Within the industry sector of Nigeria, the different operators have to integrate different kinds of standards into their processes. There are likely as many standards involved as there are industry sectors and sub-sectors in Nigeria.

There is then the question of who checks that the standards can be, and are being, applied in the right way by companies, government corporations and other service providers.

For this, we need the help of different kinds of laboratories – testing laboratories, calibration laboratories and medical laboratories. We also have need of inspection bodies and the different certification issuing bodies for products, processes, personnel, management systems, etc. Together, these are known as conformity assessment bodies.

In the same vein, who checks that the conformity assessment bodies working in Nigeria are competent to carry our checks on standards compliance? Do they have the right equipment, qualified personnel, are their systems such as record keeping, properly managed?

This is where the accreditation system plays its role. Conformity assessment bodies need to qualify for accreditation, as this testifies that they are competent and that they carry out their work in a competent manner. Accreditation is only mandatory when prescribed by government regulation for a particular product, or process. The accreditation body should work hand-in-hand with the regulatory bodies in Nigeria.

It issues certificates to qualified conformity assessment bodies who apply to it – and after due checks have been completed. The certificate of accreditation is a testament to the competence of the applicant body and is accepted worldwide.

In Nigeria today, conformity assessment bodies apply to foreign accreditation bodies for a certificate, in lieu of a domestic accreditation services.

What are the best methods to manage stakeholder dialogues on social responsibility towards actual development in Nigeria?

In Nigeria, the NQI Project has done much to evolve the culture of good governance within the public sector entities and private >>

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NEWS AND FEATURES - QUALITY AND SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY

> framework. These organisations have been encouraged to adopt the UNIDO guideline on Good Governance developed in 2014 as a business requirement.

As provided in the ISO 26000 international standard, social responsibility has as its focus the responsibilities of organisations to society and the environment.

Overall, organisations should exert a social responsibility to contribute to sustainable development and make adequate provisions for this.

Acting with this in mind, society usually expects organisations to act responsibly.

“I have had opportunities to participate in workshops but this is more [interactive] – thought-provoking especially with the different perceptions on the topics... For me, it is another moment where my mind is divided on whether the global standards are deliberately set to exclude others from competing favourable, or not. However, I am very excited to be among the few to have a view of the ingredients of the new national quality infrastructure.” – Abdullahi Mohammed, media professional (Television)

Reactions

Meaningful partnerships have been facilitated with key media entities, as the NQI Project prepares to support a media dialogue on Quality issues that will be driven by professionals who participated at the workshop and the wider media community across the country.

At the associational level, the project has entered into talks with the Nigerian Association of Women Journalists to reach out to the womenfolk in rural communities on the concept of quality in industry and trade. With the press regulator, the Nigerian Press Council plans are underway to support public literacy on the subject of quality infrastructure and good production practices in Nigeria.

The Federal Ministry of Information and the Nigerian Press Council were well represented at the open ceremony of the media programme in Minna.

Tip ping the S ca les for Tech n i ca l Co m pe te n ce i n N i g e ri a Yitbarek Kidane showcases the promising landscape for new certification businesses in Nigeria CAB. The CAB are expected to comply with relevant international requirements and best practices in order to provide accredited certification cervices to the private sector.

The Organized Private Sector (OPS) in Nigeria are strongly owning and driving the capacity building and conformity assessment body creation intervention of the EU funded UNIDO – NQIP output of the project. The OPS has already established a Joint Work Group with their representatives to systematically and transparently perform different activities of the component. It has prepared, validated and being implementing of its road map to create accredited Conformity Assessment Bodies and to make them operational.

By doing so the private sector contributes its role to patronize and strengthen the overall quality infrastructure of the country and specifically assists private sector to globally demonstrate their competencies to provide quality product and services. Being a local infrastructure it provides easy access certification opportunity at a reasonable cost for small and medium enterprises. The service of the indigenous credible certification service also assists Government regulatory bodies to better enforce their regulatory requirements and provides confidence of the quality of products to the consumer at large.

An accredited CAB is critically required by the private sector to enhance their competencies and also to demonstrate their capabilities in globally recognized manner. Currently, the private sector is suffering a lot and being handicapped to compute globally as the infrastructure for archiving and demonstrating quality of their products is greatly inadequate.

Yitbarek Kidane is the UNIDO lead expert on Conformity Assessment and Consumer Protection of the NQI Project. He has also worked on projects on quality infrastructure projects in Bangladesh.

NQIP has conducted different trainings to about 250 members of the OPS and the need for private sector to patronize NQI through playing its role consciously. The private sectors are made well aware of the commercial opportunity of CAB in Nigeria and some of the OPS have started practical action to create and support

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NEWS AND FEATURES - IN LEAPS AND BOUNDS

I n Leaps and B ounds – N igeria National Accreditation S er vice Stephen Cross provides a step-by-step picture for the operation of accreditation systems

Promoting the benefits of domestic accreditation to industry players in Nigeria.

In 2015, the amount of accreditation fees paid by Nigerian institutions to foreign accreditation bodies continues to rise as the demand and need for accreditation grows.

It is clearly evident that businesses that offer conformity assessment services are aware of the advantages of receiving domestic accreditation services in Nigeria. It appears the absence of this facility in Nigeria presented a business opportunity which was quickly utilised by foreign-based accreditation bodies. The attendant capital flight and resource loss in terms of time, skills-transfer and employment growth is only better imagined.

T

he goal of the second Component within the NQI Project is to establish a National Accreditation Body for Nigeria – as a legal institution which attests the competence and impartiality of conformity assessment bodies including testing and calibration laboratories. These conformity assessment bodies service the industry needs of all sectors in Nigeria.

NiNAS is keen to open its doors to the market in Nigeria with win-back campaigns targeted at Nigerian companies that currently rely on foreign service providers. NiNAS as a brand hinges its vision on the promise of world-class accreditation services right at the doorstep of local and regional businesses.

One last hurdle remains in the form of its pilot assessment and accreditation exercises from which IAF and ILAC can determine to what extent NiNAS qualifies in the defined test of meeting international requirements. The earliest lead time for this pilot exercise is June 2016.

In October 2015, through a process guided by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the Nigeria National Accreditation Service (NiNAS) was duly registered at the Corporate Affairs Commission in Abuja as an Incorporated Trustee with a sevenmember board of trustees.

What Next?

NiNAS is expected to provide accreditation services to the industrial sectors in Nigeria, and its requirements will be harmonised with the accreditation system operated in the whole of the West African region and the world.

Preparing for the NiNAS pilot With support from the NQI Project, ongoing capacity building activities for laboratories in Nigeria look to develop the market for accreditation services in Nigeria as more business consumers insist on receiving testing, inspection and certification services only from accredited bodies. Businesses in Nigeria are becoming wise to their responsibilities to consumers and to the society as a whole, as their consumers now expect and demand the use of modern production practices to provide goods and services of satisfactory standard.

For this purpose, the NQI Project is facilitating the design of the NiNAS to create a self-sustaining institution with independence from public sector administration and private sector control.

As a legal entity, NiNAS is required to have a physical presence in Nigeria with officers to carry out its affairs. With support from the NQI Project, arrangements for a suitable registered address in Lagos are well underway. The Accreditation expert from UNIDO has also prepared job descriptions for its top management and also key staff of whom include a ‘Chief Executive Officer’, and ‘Director for Accreditation’ – among others. The NQI Project is committed to provide the initial start-up funding for NiNAS operations which will cover its costs for almost two years.

During the period of January to April of 2015, the assessment of a number of laboratories was undertaken to determine their accreditation readiness. Following those assessments a number of common gaps were noticed and so UNIDO developed a training program on the ISO/IEC 17025 standard for laboratory competence to be delivered to testing and calibration laboratories across Nigeria. The phased training program is now in full-swing and so far it is a resounding success.

With the support of UNIDO consultants, a business plan for the NiNAS was drawn up to reflect a liquidity timeline and also to plan for its financial sustainability. As is the case in other countries, its income break-down could consist of fees from accredited institutions, subscriptions from industry bodies and the provision of relevant services.

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NEWS AND FEATURES - IN LEAPS AND BOUNDS

Ke epin g Trac k …

Mr. Patrick Anyameluhor is the Managing Director of Alpha-Chemicom Laboratory This Kaduna-based company is also a beneficiary of the NQI Project’s intervention to improve the capacity within conformity assessment bodies in Nigeria so they could gain international recognition of their competence. Alpha-Chemicom Laboratory Ltd is an institutional member of the Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria.

Since 2014, Alpha-Chemicom Laboratory Ltd has participated fully in the UNIDO capacity improvement programme for Nigerian laboratories under the EU-funded NQI project. Our initial contact with the project was during the nationwide laboratory mapping exercise in early 2014. When we received the call for expressions of interest to join the introductory course in Lagos on proficiency testing according to the ISO 17043:2010 standard, we sent two personnel to attend to develop our competence to engage in proficiency testing schemes within the field of food and beverages.

This was followed up with the ISO/IEC 17025 workshop and training in Kaduna which trained four of our laboratory staff on the general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories.

These training workshops have imparted positively on our Laboratory. Since we became involved in the training programme for laboratories, we have started the process of implementation and improvement in many of our procedures.

We now carry out periodic internal audits, and in November 2015 our organisation included in her policy, the practice of quarterly audits. Since the NQI programme for laboratories commenced in 2014, we have ensured our staff continuously receive training in instrumentation, quality management and also ISO 17025 implementation.

This was central to our decision at Alpha-Chemicom to review our policy manual and improve our policies on quality and also introducing a practice of proper records keeping.

We also recently welcomed our maiden consultancy visit from a UNIDO laboratory expert and trainer, who facilitated the training on 17025 in November 2015. Since we took part in the ISO-17025 training our entire workforce has become more aware and focused on both personal and organisational competence, quality and integrity.

In terms of our response to customer feedback, our methods and procedures have improved, with service delivery here becoming more attuned towards customer satisfaction. We have improved our process of providing responses to feedback from our customers and now keep records of these. Our overall focus is fixed on maintaining our organisational integrity.

Speaking generally, the NQI project under the EU-funded EDF programme has successfully contributed to noticeable improvements in our Laboratory.

In Leaps And Bounds – N iger ia N at iona l Acc red itatio n S er vice > Training is being delivered in six centres around Nigeria including Abuja, Enugu, Ilorin, Kaduna, Lagos and Port Harcourt. In the first three sessions about 75 people representing 35 laboratories participated. The sessions have been very popular and those planned for December and January are already at capacity.

the public and private sectors are attending this training. The testing laboratories work in areas as diverse as Food and Beverages, Leather, Environmental testing and on to Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals and other areas of light manufacturing.

Stephen Cross is the UNIDO lead expert on Accreditation for the NQI Project. He sat at the helm of Canada’s accreditation service for over five years.

Following these training sessions consulting will be made available to the laboratories so that they can develop and implement the quality policies and procedures in their operations that can lead to their accreditation, and the eventual international acceptance of their test reports. Testing and calibration laboratories from both

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NEWS AND FEATURES - Exclusive Interview

The Business Case for Cer tific ation The NQI Proj ec t team m e t u p in La g o s w it h M r. Em ma nu e l Co b h a m, th e D i re c to r- G e n e ra l o f th e Ni g e r i a n A s s o c i ation of Ch amb ers of Co m m e rce, I n d u s t r ie s, M ine s a n d Ag r i c u l tu re (N ACC I M A ). NACC I M A i s a p r i va te s e c tor i n s t i t utional par t n er work i ng towa rd s o n e o f t he g o a ls o f th e E U - f u n d e d NQ I Proj e c t – w h i c h i s to e n co u ra g e p ri vate s e ctor interest s i n N i g er ia to re co g n is e t he p o te nt ia l f o r th e n e w t y p e s o f b u s i n e s s e s th a t th e y ca n c re a te to s u pp or t the lo cal i n d ust ri es in N ig e r ia to m e e t t h e ir o b lig a ti o n s towa rd s q ua l i t y p ro d u c ti o n .

Q: In the view of NACCIMA, what have been the results of this partnership in the area of trade capacity building?

al market share recorded in the ISO 2013 survey on the number of certified institutions in the world, over 1.2 million certifications have been issued. In African continent, we recorded a dismal figure of only nine thousand. Looking at the statistics for the countries in Africa, Egypt, South Africa and Tunisia are at the top – while Nigeria has only 65 certifications on record. We are looking to become more functional so that we can operate better within this system.

MR. COBHAM: - Within NACCIMA, when looking at the scope of the NQI programme, we see it covers such broad areas as standards development, testing, inspection, accreditation, conformity assessment, etc. We are interested in these areas, and we believe NACCIMA as a national institution is the right body to benefit from this programme. We are members of the NQI project steering committee and also co-chair the project’s joint working group on the OPS to intervene and engage. We are on the plan where our institution can itself drive the process if it is properly guided.

Q. In addition to the market share, could you tell us more about the main drivers that encouraged NACCIMA towards the business sector of certification, and the scope of this interest?

MR. COBHAM: If NACCIMA sets up a certification body today, it assures us of the confidence in our institution in terms of being able to give a proper framework, and also that our members will follow standard rules of trade. Depending on what our members are likely to look up to us for, the areas we are considering will be personnel, product management systems – the whole gamut of certification services.

We have to look at the support structure for this also – setting up services for testing, evaluation, inspection and also how to relate with assessors. We want to build a certification body that the Nigerian Standards Organisation (SON) will make reference to and say, “Yes, this is an institution. Go there for your certification needs.”

Director General NACCIMA makes a point

Q. With management approval already obtained, how has the progress been so far?

Q. With the focus maintained on improving the quality of goods and services in the Nigerian market for domestic consumption as well as export, can you share with us the general expectations of NACCIMA and the Nigerian Organised Private Sector in this regard?

MR. COBHAM: While we are still in the planning stages, we are taking steps to incorporate the organisation at the Corporate Affairs Commission. We expect more technical assistance and interventions towards transfer of knowledge and skills from the NQI certification project.

I am saying this as you know recently, that some items from Nigeria were restricted from export because of certain chemicals. If our local businesses understood the procedures clearly and were exposed to competent laboratories to do the proper testing prior to the export stage, of course, the situation would have been different.

MR. COBHAM: NACCIMA is an advocacy organisation with its membership cutting across the entire states of the Federation and we promote matters affecting the development of the businesses of our members. We look forward to a private sector that can effectively contribute to policy formulation, equipped with the right tools to monitor and implement the programmes of Government. Tools to improve the quality of goods and services – and in improving this quality the ancillary benefits are many. Increased production from our members, responding to the questions of unemployment…

We have come to realise that certification services in Nigeria are scarce and unaffordable, and this is a worrying phenomenon. This is why we have been driven to collaborate where we need that technical support to leverage.

Nigeria, over the years, has been producing primary products for export overseas… why can we not add the value and get the profits? We need to reach a pedestal where we can compete with the best and where our goods and services will be looked at favourably. Where standards will be looked at from an objective level, and of course, the choices of the consumers or end-users will now determine the market value. Otherwise, it becomes difficult for the customer to patronise the market for goods that are produced locally.

Q. We would like to know what step NACCIMA is taking to enable the members, and the organisation itself, gain actual benefits and play an active role within the national quality infrastructure that will be developed in Nigeria?

MR. COBHAM: Yes. For instance, only just last week, Chief Bassey Edem, the NACCIMA national president, authorised that NACCIMA creates an independent entity to drive the process of providing certification services. If we look at the ISO 9000 certification globQUALITY TIMES

First Vice-President of NACCIMA responds to a question

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VOLUME II (Issue 3) - DECEMBER 2015

EVENTS GALLERY

UNIDO TRAINING PROGRAMMES

ABUJA: Capacity Building Programme on Accreditation Standards for Multi-Sector Industry Professionals

KADUNA: Workshop on Quality Issues in the Leather and Skins Value Chain for Finished Goods Producers

MINNA: Capacity Building on Industry and Trade Quality for Journalists & Media Professionals

LAGOS: Participants at QMSC and QMS Training for the Private Sector

PA R T N E R S H I P S

Courtesy Visit to set of Consumer Weekly CPC Awareness TV Show

ABUJA: Senior Metrology Officers on the Technical Committee for the Establishment of the NMI

ABUJA: Meeting with Public Sector on Roadmap to Establish Office of Technical Regulations

LAGOS: Media Courtesy Visit to the Business Editor of Guardian Newspapers

SPECIAL EVENTS

VIENNA: Briefing meeting on improvement of Nigeria’s Quality infrastructure with H.E. Minister of State

QUALITY TIMES

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY, ABUJA: EU and UNIDO Team Explain the NQI Conduit of Excellence Solution to Ban on Nigeria Agricultural Exports to Joint Senate Committee (Agriculture, Health & Rural Development)

11

ABUJA: H.E., K. Ibrahim, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs visits NQI Stand at UN @ 70 Exhibition

VOLUME II (Issue 3) - DECEMBER 2015

NEWS AND FEATURES

SPECIAL NOTICE TO LABS

INVITATION FOR PARTICIPATION IN FAO-TAMU PROGRAMME ON PROFICIENCY TESTING FOR AFLATOXIN ANALYSIS

Introduction As part of a continued commitment to feed laboratories’ analytical success through implementation of quality system, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Texas A&M (TAMU) are working together to deliver an aflatoxin proficiency testing programme. Proficiency testing is one of the BIG THREE in a laboratory quality system, along with traceability and uncertainty. Participation in proficiency testing programmes helps a laboratory assure the quality of test results (ISO 17025 5.9).

We recognize that few proficiency testing programmes are available for feed laboratories and participation is expensive. This programme helps address this gap. The participants will receive a proficiency sample twice during 2016. The programme is offered at no cost to participants. Initially, the proficiency testing will focus on total aflatoxin and/or aflatoxin B1 analysis.

Ground maize samples containing natural containing naturally occurring aflatoxin are prepared by the Office of theTexas State Chemist (OTSC) using a protocol contained in their standard operating procedure titled “Control Standard Production for the One Sample Strategy“. Their ISO 17025 accredited laboratory will also assist laboratories experiencing large variation by providing technical assistance at a distance.

More details on the online course and proficiency testing programme here: http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/home/en/news_archive/2014_FAO-TAMU_E-learning_course.html Some important Dates • Interested laboratories may please send the information sought in the Annex by 31

December 2015 to: Harinder.makkar@fao.org • Dispatch of samples to laboratories by 15 February 2016 • Results to be sent to TAMU in a prescribed form (to be sent with the sample) by 31 March 2016 • Report to individual laboratories by TAMU

by end of April 2016 Contact Harinder P.S. Makkar Animal Production and Health Division Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy QUALITY TIMES

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VOLUME II (Issue 3) - DECEMBER 2015

U P CO M I N G E V E N T S December 2015 – March 2016

INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT • • •

Private Sector Certification Body Eligibility Assessment Establishment of Consumer Literacy Training Units Equipment Sourcing for the National Metrology Institute

FIELD ASSIGNMENTS • • •

Conduit of Excellence Application Workshops Site Visits for NQI Conduit of Excellence Demonstration Documentaries Public Awareness Campaigns on the National Food Safety Policy

CAPACITY BUILDING • • •

Good Governance and Professional Practices Training III – Abuja ISO 17025 Training for Laboratories – Various Cities Industrial and Legal Metrology Training for Metrology Scientists – Abuja

CEREMONIES •

World Consumer Rights Day

To ols and Res ources »»

NQI Project Brochure

»»

Directory of Testing and Calibration Laboratories

»»

Laboratoy Mapping Report

»»

SME Guide

»»

National Quality Policy Green Paper

»»

Conformilty Assessment Benefits

»»

National Food Safety Policy

»»

Guideline on Good Governance for NQI Organisations

»»

Better Technical Regulations in Nigeria (A Compilation of Technical Papers)

»»

Technical Brief on Commercial Opportunities for Conformity Assessment Bodies in Nigeria

»»

Conduit of Excellence Brochure

»»

National Quality Policy: Sharing the Genesis Process

info@fmti.gov.ng www.fmti.gov.ng

Delegation of the European Union to Nigeria 21st Crescent, Off Constitution Avenue Central Business District P.M.B. 280 Garki-Abuja, Nigeria

Resources are available for download on the NQI website: www.nqi-nigeria.org

NQI Online Laboratory Mapping Tool: http://www.nqi-nigeria.org/labs

For contact and enquiries: Efehi Ubebe e.ubebe@unido.org Partnership and Visibility Unit National Quality Infrastructure Project www.nqi-nigeria.org

Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment Old Secretariat, Area 1 Garki-Abuja, Nigeria

NQI Project Office In Nigeria UNIDO Plot 256 Zone AO, Herbert Macaulay Way Bank of Industry Building Central Business District Abuja, Nigeria

Tel: (+234) 9-4617800 delegationnigeria@eeas.europa.eu www.delnga.ec.europa.eu