•SON DG signs CIPM agreement in France, marks three years in office
Nigeria has joined the league of nations whose measurement standards are recognised worldwide, after signing the Mutual Recognition Arrangement of the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM MRA) in France.
The feat coincided with the third years anniversary in office of the Director-General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Dr Ifeanyi Chukwunonso Okeke, who signed on behalf of Nigeria at the 28th meeting of the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM).
In a statement signed by Mrs. Ethan Talatu, Director Corporate Affairs, SON said the Nigeria’s admission as an Associate State of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) happened on June 4, 2026.
According to Okeke, it is a step that brought the country into the international measurement system.
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The CIPM MRA is the framework through which national metrology institutes prove that their measurement standards are equivalent and earn global recognition for their calibration and measurement certificates.
“Its main outputs, internationally recognised Calibration and Measurement Capabilities, are published in the BIPM Key Comparison Database.”
Okeke said the arrangement would bring international recognition of Nigeria’s measurement capabilities, global acceptance of its calibration certificates and easier trade across borders.
The SON boss noted that it would also cut dependence on foreign metrology services, strengthen SON’s technical authority, and open doors to international scientific collaboration and capacity building.
Okeke assured that Nigeria has become a full member state of the BIPM joining Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia as Africa’s only full members.
The milestone builds on the accreditation of three National Metrology Institute laboratories, covering mass, temperature and pressure, to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 through the Egyptian Accreditation Council.
Okeke’s three years in office have been marked by a drive to take SON’s services online.
The agency introduced the Digital Standards Platform, e-MANCAP and the Electronic Product Registration System, and moved SONCAP and Import Permit processes to the National Single Window.
The reforms earned SON second place among federal ministries, departments and agencies in the 2024 PEBEC Transparency and Efficiency Report.
For manufacturers and small businesses, internationally accepted certificates mean their products can be tested at home and trusted abroad, without the cost of foreign laboratories.
SON has also certified 131 companies and 220 products under the African Quality Mark, giving local producers a passport to markets across the continent under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
In addition, the agency launched the Nigerian National Standardization Strategy (2024–2027) and secured approval for 217 Nigerian Industrial Standards.
It has also developed more than 80 standards for Compressed Natural Gas, in support of the country’s gas-to-transport drive.
