SON uploads MANCAP-certified products online to check fakes

The Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, has uploaded the list of products certified under its Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme, MANCAP, to its official website to enable consumers to identify and patronise quality Nigerian-made products. Director-General of SON, Dr Ifeanyi Okeke, disclosed this at the CANEX WKND 2026 held at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, formerly National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos.

Okeke, who was represented by the Director, Corporate Affairs Department, Mrs Talatu Ethan, said the initiative would enable consumers to verify certified products and make informed purchasing decisions. He said: “This development will help consumers find and buy quality products easily. It puts the power of choice in the hands of the Nigerian consumer, and it rewards manufacturers who have done the right thing by meeting our standards.” The SON boss urged members of the public to visit the organisation’s website to verify certified products, while encouraging them to report products bearing fake or questionable certification marks.

He explained that SON’s participation at CANEX WKND 2026 was aimed at taking its quality assurance message directly to manufacturers, small business owners and consumers. “Our presence here is about meeting businesses where they are. Many creative and small enterprises have excellent products but do not know how to get them certified. Certification opens doors to bigger markets, here at home and across Africa, and it protects the consumer,” he said.

At its exhibition stand, SON officials engaged exhibitors and visitors on product certification under the Nigerian Industrial Standards, NIS. They also educated participants on MANCAP, which covers locally manufactured products, and the SON Conformity Assessment Programme, SONCAP, applicable to imported products. Visitors were also sensitised on how to identify substandard and counterfeit products, verify the SON authentication mark and report suspicious goods.

Small and medium-sized enterprises, SMEs, received guidance on the certification process, including application, product testing and eventual approval. Okeke stressed that locally manufactured products must meet international standards to compete effectively in global markets, particularly under the Federal Government’s Nigeria First policy.