SON to Digitalise  Operations for Effective Service Delivery

Okon Bassey in Uyo

The Director-General and Chief Executive of Standards Organisation of Nigeria  (SON), Mallam Farouk  A. Salim, has said the organisation was being  repositioned, especially in Information Communication Technology  (ICT) to function effectively in service delivery for the country.

Salim disclosed this yesterday at the opening of a four-day Strategic Leadership Retreat with the theme: ‘Improving the Effectiveness and Efficiency of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria Through Digitisation’, taking place in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

“Over the years, efforts have been made to digitise all our processes and procedures in an attempt to make the organisation a world class standards body and further support the federal government’s policy on the ease of doing business.

“It is with regard to this that majority of our activities have been digitised.

“These include the SON Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP) scheme, Mandatory Conformity Assessment  Programme (MANCAP), Ports and Boarders processes Library services payment and National Registry for Conformity Assessment Practitioners  (NRCAP).”

He explained that the automation of workflow for the organisation to significantly reduce the use of papers and physical files had been ongoing while a Modernisation Committee comprising of representatives of relevant departments to drive the organisation’s ICT roadmap has been set up.

According to Salim, “It is in this context that this retreat has been designed to discuss issues around the state of our IT infrastructure and build consensus among management staff on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of SON through digitisation.

“As you already know, digitisation is a key driver of standardisation and economic growth in both developed and developing countries across the world.

“Digitising the public sector operations and services like our organisation enhances rapid industrialisation which in turn would create jobs, reduce poverty and insecurity in our country.

“The retreat will also serve as an opportunity to have a general overview of all our departments by measuring the attainment of their KPIs.”

Salim stressed that efforts have also been intensified to minimise charges and fees for inspection by improving revenue through standard levies on some industries from company tax or from import duties.

He said more operational vehicles have been procured for its operations, and expressed hope that the government would provide the needed funds for them to execute some of their outstanding capital projects.

In his keynote address, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Inuwa Abdullahi, lauded SON for its drive towards improved efficiency and productivity through a deliberate investment in ICT.

Abdullahi, who was represented by Dr Aristotle Omowu, expressed confidence that the new initiative and collaboration with NITDA would also help the organisation to reduce human workload, increase transparency, reduce redundancy and increase revenue generation in SON.

Himel Wins Awards

Himel has bagged the prestigious Global Brand Awards, at an annual event held by Global Brands Magazine (GBM), an international publication headquartered in the United Kingdom. Staying true to its values, Himel won the award for the ‘Most Reliable Value-Engineered Electrical Products Brand, Middle East and North Africa.’

According to a statement by the company, it was noted that the annual award aims to recognise global brands achieving excellence in performance across a broad range of sectors while simultaneously keeping their readers updated on key trends from the branding arena.

The statement also noted that Himel was evaluated based on its global footprint, value-engineering, and reliability, all critical metrics in the world of electrical products.

Commenting on the success of the company, the Global Head of Himel, Shrinivas Chebbi, said: “We are honoured to be recognised and awarded across two key strategic regions. Our commitment to value engineering and contextual understanding of emerging economies has been central to driving regional success.” 

“We have established our competitive advantage in premium projects as well. Value engineering in design,  procurement, production and implementation the benefits are multifaceted. It is not about minimising cost, it is about maximising benefits. Any scale of project can benefit from this. A testimony to the stacking effect of right marketing and sales strategies, these awards echo our vision and efforts to facilitate access to high-quality electrical products and support accelerated development of safer homes, commercial spaces, and industrial facilities.”

Global Brand Awards recognises vital players who progress towards excellence by providing a platform to acknowledge their efforts.

The Global Head of Marketing and Communication, Himel, Vibha Thusu, remarked that Himel was being awarded for its notable efforts with global recognition, adding: “At Himel, our marketing strategies, underpinned at all times by the vision of reliability and affordability, aim to push the perceived limitations of cost efficient electrical products. Through extensive on-ground and online marketing initiatives, involving multichannel customer engagement, and nudging conversations around the need of safer electrical products, we have been able to establish our brand as a thought leader in the value engineering space.”

The statement noted that with a footprint in 50+ countries, Himel values opportunities for all and provides the best combination of affordable and reliable products to meet the demand for access to safe electricity.

Continuing, the statement said: “Himel also adapts a ‘top-down’ approach towards nurturing employee experience, firmly believing that putting its employees first is imperative to Himel’s success. To create a cohesive environment where everyone can succeed, Himel leads with a purpose-driven marketing strategy to maintain authentic relationship with their customers and establish loyalty within their community. Adding to this, active participation from Himel’s leadership across its community interactions helps the brand to identify the pulse of the business and replicate the success year after year.”