In continuation of finding lasting solutions to the problem of Nigeria’s non-oil export rejects abroad, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has once again extended hands of collaboration to critical stakeholders in the nation’s ports with a view to working together to revamp the export trade in the non-oil sector and reduce the rejection of Nigerian products thereby positioning the country in a better state in the Global market.
The Director General, NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye who was ably represented by Dr Abimbola Adegboye, the Director, Port Inspection Directorate (PID), who also heads the Office of Trade and International Relations (OTIR), at a consultative meeting with Pre-shipment Inspection Agents on Friday, expressed the Agency’s
Discomfort with the alarming rate of rejections of food exports from Nigeria.
She pointed out that the meeting was aimed at building effective collaboration with NAFDAC to complement its robust regulatory policies geared toward understanding the NAFDAC export processes, collaboration to safeguard a unified exportation procedure and zero rejects of Nigeria export products. She expressed dismay that a competent authority on food safety matter with all her acclaimed global accreditation in food safety testing could be totally blanked out in the listed requirements for issuance of Clean Certificate of Inspection (CCI) by the Pre-shipment Inspection Agents. No wonder there are high volumes of reject from Nigeria as the NAFDAC regulated products were not tested nor production processes validated for compliance before export.
Present at the meeting were the top management staff of Neroli Technologies Limited, the agent covering South-south and South-west zone; Anglia International Services Limited, the agent covering North-West and North-Central zone and Gojopal Nigeria Limited, the PIA covering North-East and South-East zone. They all made commitments to immediate rectification of this lapse on their website and their process and enlightening their client to use the Nigeria Single Window for Trade portal (www.swt.gov.ng)to procure their exports certification.
NAFDAC as a Governmental Agency was established by Enabling Act Cap N1 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004 which empowers the Agency as the competent authority in Nigeria and charged with the responsibility of regulating and controlling the quality of manufactured, importation, exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale, and consumption of food, drug, chemicals, and other regulated products. Essentially, the NAFDAC mandate is to ensure traded products are of good quality, safe and wholesome.
The Port Inspection Directorate of the Agency has met with the Chairman of Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS) and Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme NESS, Area Comptroller of Nigeria Customs Services at the Ports, advocacy visits were made to export sheds at seaports, airports, and land boarders.
She however, expressed her appreciation of the activities of PIAs as a main actor in the processes chain of exportation adding that coming together of the critical stakeholders will help make the trade of non-oil sector to be better, more robust and more consultative.
‘NAFDACs door is opened to enhance export and trade, we encourage and support trade of quality products’, she said, adding that ‘we are enjoining the PIAs to be part of the game and to make sure we collaborate effectively’.
