NiNAS PAID A COURTESY VISIT TO THE RMRDC

Representatives of Nigeria National Accreditation System (NiNAS) led by the Director General, Mr. Celestine Okanya, paid a courtesy visit to the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) on Tuesday February 4, 2020.

The purpose of this visit was to establish a partnership between NiNAS and RMRDC to drive the nation and its economy to a point of global recognition across all standards.

In the course of the meeting, the DG of NiNAS stated the importance of having strong institutions like the RMRDC to rely on as regards national and economic growth, then went on to explain the role of NiNAS in this pursuit. He sighted NiNAS as a “Support Arm” with the sole responsibility of ensuring that every other Agency, especially Conformity Assessment Bodies involved in the provision of quality related services are in line with International standards. Mr. Okanya also mentioned the wealth of raw materials possessed by the nation and the role played by  the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC) from the production phase to the export phase as finished goods. He went further to state that the magnitude of work involved in the development process of these raw materials coupled with harnessing the available opportunities would be heavy on the council and on this note extended a hand of friendship to them. He promised to work closely with the council in some of those areas, ensuring that the RMRDC  functions remarkably well to the point of being compared with peers abroad.

The Director General of RMRDC, Prof. H.D. Ibrahim, stated that the mandate of the council is a wide one but can be narrowed down to areas where both parties can function as partners. He also expressed his joy following the positive accreditation status of their laboratory. Furthermore, he stressed the importance of a research based institution like RMRDC having an established laboratory that can serve SMEs and Small scale manufacturers in terms of processing their export products. In this regard, he is certain that both organizations can be good partners in ensuring the existence of such laboratories, and if already in place, the accreditation process can be advocated for until the council can become a reference point. Other possible avenues for partnership as mentioned by Prof. Ibrahim include training and capacity building, establishment of Structure(s) for Personnel-Certification Programs and Promotion of raw materials research and development industries.

At the end, Prof. Ibrahim expressed his profound appreciation to NiNAS and took the team on a tour to their resource center.