The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has implemented a strict set of guidelines for exports to Nigeria called the Standards Organisation of Nigeria Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP).

SONCAP verifies the conformity of all products exported to Nigeria except those that appear on the Excluded Product List and enforces their standards. Compliance to SONCAP requirements is applicable in addition to any existing import processes.

In January 2013, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) officially released a new SONCAP process with a completely revised conformity assessment structure. The programme is a set of conformity assessment and verification procedures applicable to all products imported into Nigeria except those under the exemption list.

The requirements for SONCAP include:

• Every consignment of imported goods which contains regulated products must be accompanied by a Certificate of Conformity issued by and Independant Accredited Firm, such as Intertek, and a SONCAP Certificate issued by SON.
• The Certificate of Conformity (CoC) is required to obtain a SONCAP Certificate from SON.
• The Certificate of Conformity (CoC) confirms that the products comply with the relevant Nigerian technical regulations and approved international/regional/national standards.
• SONCAP Certificate (SC) is a mandatory document used by the Nigerian Customs Services for clearance of goods going to Nigeria.
• The authorities in Nigeria may take random samples from imported consignments to verify compliance.

The SONCAP Certificate is required to ensure smooth Customs clearance of shipments arriving in Nigeria.

All products are regulated under the new SONCAP Structure with the exception of those products that are listed in the CBN circular as below:

• Food Products
• Drugs (Medicines)
• Medical Products (other than equipment and machines)
• Chemicals used as Raw Material by bonifide manufacturers
• Military Ware and Equipment
• Goods classified as contraband by the Federal Government of Nigeria
• Used products other than automobiles

Additional details on the SONCAP procedure and a list of Regulated Products currently requiring SONCAP certification are available at www.exports2nigeria.com.

Contact us to see how Intertek can help your organization with SON Conformity Assessment Programme for Exports to Nigeria (SONCAP).