When you hear that something is made in Nigeria, what comes to mind.
Some possible questions would be:
Will it last?
Was it Approved?
Is it a copy of another product?
Why? Because we are not known for originality and durability, and for the approval part, ask agencies like SON, NAFDAC, and the National Film And Video Censors Board, NFVCB their daily experience.
Consumer's perception of a Country, its economic and political background, History, and Tradition, represent the sensitivity and image people have of products from that Country.
Some Countries are known for Electronics related products, e.g. Japan and South Korea.
Italy is known for Luxury Cars, Shoes, and Clothes, and if you are looking for the best Watches, Switzerland is your best place.
That brings us back to our question, What does made in Nigeria look like?
The resounding answer will be, A poorly made, copy-and-reapply product, with poor packaging and without appropriate approval.
Back in July, several ship loads of Nigeria products were said to have been rejected in Mexico due to a lack of quality control and poor packaging.
The EU recently banned Nigeria's agricultural produce from entering Europe.
According to the agency, the rejected beans were found to contain between 0.03mg per kilogram to 4.6mg/kg of dichlorvos pesticide, when the acceptable maximum residue limit is 0.01 mg per kg. The reason is that the Nigerian regulatory agencies are corrupt, they are busy policing people instead of policing the process.
In Nigeria, whether in the Movie Industry or clothes and Shoes, copying what is selling seems the right thing to do.
The only thing that is "Made in Nigeria" that we can lay claim to are plastic chairs and their like.
Not a single design school exists in Nigeria.
While globalization has changed the way we perceive products, namely that the iPhone is designed in California and then assembled in China, with parts sourced in South Korea and other countries, it still matters to the consumer where the phone originated from.
People have built strong trust in Apple and the durability of "Made in America" that they can almost not care where the company sources its parts from.
We all know that we live in the most savvy and competitive world more than ever before in the history of mankind.
Countries across the globe are aggressively marketing themselves for Investments, Tourism, and exports.
While we have heard of "Made in Nigeria" Vehicles for example, do we have testing facilities to actually prove the safety of those Vehicles, or are we on the assumption that the companies know what they are doing?
