The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is collaborating with relevant agencies to put an end to the recurrent rejection of Nigerian food and agricultural commodities by certain European, United States, and United Kingdom markets.
The NAFDAC DG, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, in a statement, said “Nigeria has lost billions of naira in trade that could have benefitted our people. About 70 percent of our exports are rejected, food products especially. All these rejected products did not go through NAFDAC regulatory assessment. It disgraces us as a country.”
Highlighting the competitive nature of the international market, Prof. Adeyeye stressed that only high-quality products with proper certifications and environmentally friendly, well-packaged goods are welcomed. She lamented the recurring challenges of quality, standards, certification, and suitable packaging for Nigerian exports in the global market.
Addressing the issue, she underscored the importance of rectifying the problem of rejections, pointing out that some exporters submit incorrect documentation, including fake lab results, instead of utilizing NAFDAC’s ISO 17025:2015 accredited laboratories for proper analysis.
She maintained that NAFDAC is the competent authority in Nigeria charged with the responsibility to regulate and control the manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution advertisement, sale and consumption of drugs, food and other regulated products in Nigeria.
“NAFDAC having attained the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems that covers all her regulatory processes and procedures and certified WHO GBT maturity level 3, places great premium on deepening use of science in its regulatory processes and self-developments.”
The Director-General emphasized NAFDAC’s belief in collaborative efforts with both local and international organizations to enhance its robust regulatory policies. This collaboration aims to protect consumers and promote public health by ensuring that regulated products and their production systems meet safety standards for the public.