National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and chemical products manufacturers have agreed to explore the international market to enhance foreign exchange earnings and catalyst for industrial growth.
Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye hinted during a virtual chemical manufacturers’ stakeholders’ meeting organized by the agency to sensitize, enlighten, and create awareness on the current trends in the regulation of the manufacture of chemicals with emphasis on the need to be listed as a Chemical Manufacturer in Nigeria.
She said the objective of the deliberations augur well with the current focus of the NAFDAC management to bring the Agency’s regulatory activities in line with international best practices.
Adeyeye noted that Chemical Evaluation and Research Directorate has the mandate to safeguard public health by ensuring that only the right quality chemicals are manufactured, imported, exported, distributed, sold and used in Nigeria.
Adeyeye disclosed that the directorate has put in place effective regulations and guidelines for sound chemical management in Nigeria.
“This is achieved by ensuring proper utilization of chemicals in a manner that reduces risk to health and environment and advocating for use of chemicals that are less harmful and hazardous.”
Resident Media Consultant to NAFDAC, Sayo Akintola, in a statement on Sunday in Lagos quoted Prof 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 admitted that chemical products manufactured in Nigeria would enjoy wider acceptability and high competitiveness with the NAFDAC registration identity.
According to Adeyeye, “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 accompany development of the real sector of the economy.”
“Chemicals no doubt play a pivotal role in the economic development of any country. Nigeria as an economy in transition has many needs of Chemicals for her numerous industries.”
Adeyeye stressed that some of these chemicals are now manufactured in the country and this creates an environment of heightened concern that NAFDAC is expected to play a leading role in strengthening Chemical safety and security.
“The NAFDAC Act empowers the Agency to undertake appropriate investigations into the production premises and raw materials for food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, bottled water and chemicals and establish relevant quality assurance systems, including certificates of the production sites and of the regulated products.”
“Adeyeye further said that the law also compels all handlers of chemicals to adhere strictly to all the stipulated guidelines for sound Chemical management in order to safeguard health and protect the environment.”
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“This underscores the reason why we communicate any change in regulations to our stakeholders.”
Adeyeye disclosed that listing of chemical manufacturers was initiated to address the existing gap in the regulation of the manufacture of chemicals in Nigeria.
‘’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, fertilizers, car care chemicals.”
She noted that the use of Chemicals has increased geometrically in the past years in Nigeria resulting in increase in the local manufacturing capabilities for chemicals.
“This increase in local chemical manufacture and industrialization of the economy has led to growth in the chemical industry in Nigeria.
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.”
Chief executive officers of chemical manufacturing companies amongst over 94 stakeholders, including members of the Amalgamated Association of Chemical Marketers of Nigeria, that participated commended the ingenuity and courage of Prof Adeyeye in creating the directorate dedicated to the regulation and control of the nation’s chemical industry.
Managing Director /CEO of Brenntag Chemical Nigeria Limited, producers of liquid caustic Soda, Mr Pieter De Konnick, a Belgian, said NAFDAC’s involvement in regulating the chemical manufacturing sector will bring it to limelight and reposition the Nigeria chemical industry for economic growth.
“This is my eighth year in Nigeria; this is the best thing that has happened to me in this industry, he said as he showered encomiums on the leadership of the agency for the wonderful job they have been doing.
Speaking in the same vein, Managing Director/CEO of Unikem Industries Limited, producers of ethanol from cassava, Mr Uzor Kalu, and Mr Paul Audu, MD/CEO of Roychem Industries Limited, said the hitherto bottlenecks in procuring NAFDAC Import Permit have disappeared since Prof. Adeyeye became the Director General of NAFDAC.
They noted that NAFDAC import permit and removal certificates were often done in January of every year with its negative implications in terms of having plans for the year to be activated.
Both industrialists however, disclosed that the introduction of online platform via electronic process by Adeyeye had made application and processing of the vital import documents completed in the last quarter of every year while manufacturers already have the documentation done in readiness for the new year.