THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and manufacturers of chemical products in Nigeria have agreed to explore the international market to enhance the nation’s foreign exchange earnings and serve as a potent catalyst for industrial growth.
NAFDAC’s Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye who gave the hint during a virtual chemical manufacturers’ stakeholders’ meeting organised by the agency to sensitise, enlighten and create awareness on the current trends in the regulation of the manufacture of chemicals emphasise on the need to be listed as a chemical manufacturers in Nigeria.
Professor Adeyeye said the agency’s focus to bring its regulatory activities in line with international best practices and ensure it safeguards public health of Nigerians by ensuring that only the right quality chemicals are manufactured, imported, exported, distributed, sold and used in the country.
Resident media consultant to NAFDAC, Sayo Akintola, in a statement quoted Adeyeye as saying that a portal has been created by the agency for registration of chemical products for effective quality control and strict adherence to international best practices.
She said that chemical products manufactured in Nigeria would enjoy wider acceptability and high competitiveness with the NAFDAC registration identity.
According to her, penetrating the international market would further enable the industry to grow with more Nigerians gaining employment opportunities sequel to the expected expansion in the operations of the manufacturers and invariably the accompanying development of the real sector of the economy.
Adeyeye said that the law also compels all handlers of chemicals to adhere strictly to stipulated guidelines for sound chemical management to safeguard health and protect the environment. She, however, disclosed that the listing of chemical manufacturers was initiated to address the existing gap in the regulation of the manufacture of chemicals in Nigeria.
According to her, ‘’Manufacturers required to be listed as a chemical manufacturer include those involved in the manufacture of specialty chemicals, laboratory chemicals and reagents, industrial chemicals, inks, paints, adhesives, wood preservatives & polishers, cleaning chemicals, agrochemicals, biocides, fertilisers, car care chemicals’’.
She stated that the use of chemicals has increased geometrically in the past years in Nigeria, resulting in an increase in the local manufacturing capabilities for chemicals and the industrialisation of the economy.
She added that the safe and secured management of chemicals especially in the manufacturing sector is, therefore, an issue of growing importance that requires a collaborative effort between the regulators and the industry.
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