Nigeria, Korea partner to check influx of fake products

There is a large number of counterfeit products from Korea in Nigeria

Nigeria and South Korea say they are set to jointly tackle the influx of substandard products into Nigeria.

This was contained in a statement issued by the Head of Marketing of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Abimbola Fashina, and made available to journalists on Wednesday in Lagos.

According to the statement, the Korean Government, through the head, Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, KATS, Seo Kwang-hyun, pledged the cooperation with Nigeria.

The pledge was made when the Director General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, Joseph Odumodu, visited KATS in Korea.

Mr. Seo expressed worry about the counterfeiting of major electronics and household products from Korea in Nigeria.

He said that the collaboration was necessary to identify the genuine products in the interest of the consumers and the nation’s economy.

Mr. Seo promised to take immediate steps in collaboration with the major electronics and household products manufacturers in Korea to ensure easy identification of products by SON officials in Nigeria.

He said such development will assist SON to easily identify and apprehend counterfeit products.

Mr. Seo said only the export of quality products would be allowed between the two countries.

He said that the Korean Government, through KATS and its sister agencies, have been providing support for Africa through human capacity development programmes.

Earlier, Mr. Odumodu expressed delight at the product testing capabilities and research activities at the Korean Testing Laboratory (KTL).

He urged Korean investors to explore the potential of the Nigeria minerals, agriculture, power and transport sectors. He noted that Nigeria has a large population, mineral and human resources that would yield high return to investment.

Mr. Odumodu called for collaboration in other areas, including laboratory and human capacity development, as well as the promotion of small and medium scale enterprises.

A joint contact committee was then set up between the two agencies to facilitate the drafting of the proposed memorandum of understanding.

The director general and his team had earlier visited the Korean Testing Laboratory, Samsung, and LG Electronics.

The team also participated in the 5th Session of the Conference of Parties of the World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control holding in Seoul.