The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has cautioned Nigerians involved in the export of processed or semi-processed foods not to expect any compromise on the regulations governing the industry.
The director general, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, affirmed the determination of the agency to remain steadfast in enforcing these regulations, which serve as legal frameworks to ensure compliance across all sectors, including the manufacturing, importation, exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale, and use of regulated products.
She emphasized that NAFDAC’s firm stance is necessary in light of the rejection of certain Nigerian food exports, as well as concerns raised by cocoa stakeholders regarding the NAFDAC Export Regulation 2024 posted on the agency’s website for public comment.
She said the regulations are rooted in the agency’s enabling laws and clearly define the boundaries of acceptable practices, including penalties for any violations, adding that the measures are vital for maintaining Nigeria’s competitiveness in international trade, where compliance with trade laws is rigorously scrutinized, especially since some Nigerian products are already on the red list of certain importing countries.
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In a statement on Sunday by the Agency’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, the DG, during a consultative meeting with the Cocoa Processors Association of Nigeria (COPAN) and other stakeholders in the food export sector, allayed the fears initially expressed by the cocoa stakeholders over the draft regulations.
She said making the draft document available to the public was aimed at making the issue interactive and inclusive, as it was not a finality.
Others at the interactive session on the draft regulations held in Lagos included the Network of Practicing Non-oil Exporters of Nigeria (NPNEN), the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), and the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA), among others.
She pointed out that the objective of the meeting was to create a platform to discuss critical issues of trade facilitation and how both the Agency and stakeholders in the export value chain can forge a common front, and speak with one voice for the mutual good of the country.
She emphasized that the Agency has not acted outside its mandates as export regulations is just one of the several regulations that are in the process of being gazetted into law, while noting that NAFDAC, which is now a World Health Organization (WHO) ML3 Regulatory Agency has updated and gazetted 21 regulations covering many areas of its regulatory activities.
She said the proper step to take is for food exporters to register their products with NAFDAC to avoid running foul of the law.
Lamenting that a few stakeholders’ products are already on the red list of some importing nations, she said, ‘’As you are all aware, often, our regulated products which are packaged, and for most of the time, exported without NAFDAC certification failed at the entry borders and reports have accumulated to put Nigeria at a disadvantage in international commerce.’’
She regretted that this has been the outcome of years of poor oversight and lack of regulatory supervision of the quality and safety components of regulated products produced, packaged and presented for export, adding that the enabling laws have placed the responsibility of regulation and control of the quality and safety of these products on NAFDAC.
According to her, NAFDAC has continued to pursue regulatory interventions at both local and international levels to ensure that the nation is not totally and completely banned from exporting any kind of food product in international commerce.
She recalled that during a similar export stakeholder engagement at the Digital Bridge Institute, Lagos in May 2024, the Industry and the regulators, including sister Government agencies agreed to join hands to push the frontiers of regulated product export to the next level in the interest of all stakeholders and the nation at large.
‘’Today’s engagement is therefore meant to put these concerns in perspective, to bridge the knowledge gap and allay all fears to foster the necessary collaboration required to move our regulated product exports to the desired rating in international trade,” she stated.
She further explained that regulation of exports is not a revenue generation opportunity for NAFDAC, stating that the Agency’s regulatory role is to facilitate unimpeded trade between the exporters and the importing countries to eliminate food export rejection in the EU countries and the U.S. by adhering to international standards.
She assured participants that if a product for export is already registered with NAFDAC, the Agency has less work to do, while the companies on its database would require fewer visitations.
“The most important thing is to have confidence in your product. For us what’s most important is that your product is not rejected in the importing country,” she added.
She disclosed that Handholding will start with cocoa producers based on the presumption that some of them are already registered with the agency while those that are not registered will equally be accommodated.
Olusola Obajimu, the DG of NACCIMA, and Yusuf Isiaka, the Managing Director of Multi-Trex Integrated Foods Plc, a representative of COPAN expressed satisfaction with NAFDAC’s regulatory approach, noting that it aligns with the goals to achieve global standards in food exports.
They pledged the support of the stakeholders to ensure that Nigeria improves its foreign exchange earnings through increased non-oil exports.