The National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI) on Monday began an International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) training for workers and entrepreneurs from 36 centres and six zones under its Technology Incubation Programme.
NAN reports that the participants were trained on ISO 9001:2015 which requires a quality management system where an organisation provides products and services that meet customer and applicable statutory, as well as regulatory requirements.
Mr Akinwumi Shomefun, NBTI’s overseeing Director-General (DG), said that the training was part of efforts to actualise the national self-sufficiency, entrepreneurship and self-reliance agenda of the Federal Government.
Shomefun said that the training was aimed at enhancing customer satisfaction through the effective application of the system and the assurance of conformity to customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
“It is important that we attain the cardinal goals of national self-reliance, entrepreneurship and self-sufficiency of President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.
“We are also committed to sustain and systematically prepare our staff and entrepreneurs to improve on their performances and outputs as civil servants and captains of industry,” he said.
Shomefun said that capacity building was key to the survival of any organisation and reiterated the agency’s commitment to building capacities of its staff members at all levels and at all times.
“This training will create awareness on product competitiveness, quality and satisfaction to meet customer demands in the production of goods and services delivery in all NBTI centres,” he said.
Shomefun said that NBTI was committed to actualising its mandate of commercialisation of research and development findings, as well as updating indigenous technologies and talents via technology incubation centres.
“NBTI shall continue to pursue its mandate with vigour, with a view to seeing that Nigeria maintains its enviable position in the comity of nations in innovative entrepreneurship and industrialisation.
“We will build on the capacity of the participants to achieve globally-accepted quality management standards,” the DG said.
NBTI Director of Internal Audit, Mr Mohammed Ladan, in his address said the aim of the training was to make participants understand the role of quality and standard in a competitive environment.
Ladan said that all the requirements of ISO 9001:2015 were generic and were applicable to any organisation, regardless of its type or size, or the products and services it provided.
He said that NBTI boasts of 36 technology incubation centres and extension offices in the federation, requiring such training to contribute to the welfare of its host communities.
“The ultimate target of technology incubation training is to become entrepreneurs who will launch products for local and international markets.
“This can never be realised without attaining the globally-acceptable quality standards and certification,’’ Ladan said.
NAN reports that the training was organised by DAL-HAT cost engineering Nigeria Limited in collaboration with NBTI.
Some of the topics treated include basic concepts of quality, understanding requirements of ISO 9001:2015 and how conformity assessment works. (NAN)
