By Chioma Umeha
The National Agency for Food and Drug
Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Friday, signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with the Bank of Industry (BOI), Nigeria, for Collaboration
to support Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs) in the country.
The signing of the MoU is a climax of exchanges
between the two organisations on ways to further entrench the policy thrust of
the Federal Government on the development of non-oil sector of the national
economy, said Mrs. Yetunde Oni, Acting Director-General, NAFDAC.
She said that the partnership would boost
productivity of SMEs by ensuring granting of marketing authorisation to
products that would adopt good manufacturing practice.
Oni said that partnership with BOI would enable
NAFDAC to reach the grassroots, support more entrepreneurs, especially SMEs,
toward aiding business growth.
The NAFDAC boss stressed: “The collaboration is a
win-win for both parties. It is business support plus [BS+]. While BoI is
processing the machinery and equipment needs of the regulated industry and at
the same time rendering technical support to NAFDAC, NAFDAC is rendering to
such industry BS+ and furnishing BOI with information necessary for decision-making
toward economic development.
“Today I join my brother in executing the
commencement of this very strategic and important MoU for collaboration between
NAFDAC and BOI.”
The food and drug agency boss further said:
“NAFDAC offers small business support services. In order to encourage small
holder farmers, traders and entrepreneurs, to meet with minimum regulatory
standards, NAFDAC created a small business support desk to carry this group on
board.
“The group may come together to build a
manufacturing facility where each member can produce his or her product as if
s/he owns the facility. This is a great incentive to small holder business
entrepreneurs. The products from such facilities (locally manufactured) attract
only 20 per cent of tariff placed on imported products.”
According to her, NAFDAC has seven testing
laboratories across the country and presence at the ports of entry and exit in
the country.
These are in addition to about 2,200 highly
resourceful, experienced and internationally exposed NAFDAC officers with
academic qualifications in food science and technology, pharmacy chemistry,
microbiology, biochemistry, industrial chemistry, pharmacology, with other
administrative, legal, statistical – support staff, the DG said.
“It is all these resources that we are bringing
into these collaborative efforts between NAFDAC and BOI,” Oni added.
Meanwhile, BOI has assured that it would not
finance products not certified by the National Agency for Food and Drug
Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The Acting Managing-Director of the bank, Mr.
Waheed Olagunju, stressed this at the occasion of signing the MoU between his
organisation and NAFDAC.
“It is only certified products that can be sold in
the market profitably. It is important for BOI customers to be accredited.
“Their accreditation by NAFDAC shows that they
conform to best manufacturing practices.
“BOI is supporting many local pharmaceutical
companies under Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) to export their
products because they meet NAFDAC and World Health Organisation (WHO)
standards,” Olagunju added.
The Acting CEO, BOI said that the synergy would
give his bank access to NAFDAC’s database to ascertain certified products
before financing them.
According to Olagunju, the synergy will also facilitate
economic growth by ensuring that Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs) conform to
best production standards.
Both organisations would leverage on their local
and international development partners for the success of the partnership,
Olagunju said.
