The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has joined forces with pre-shipment inspection agents to address the issue of Nigerian products being rejected. This collaboration aims to enhance the non-oil sector’s export trade and improve Nigeria’s position in the global market.
In a statement, NAFDAC stated that its Director General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, represented by Dr Abimbola Adegboye, the director of the Port Inspection Directorate (PID), addressed a meeting with Pre-shipment Inspection Agents. During the meeting, she expressed concern about the high rate of rejections of food exports from Nigeria.
The purpose of the meeting was to foster collaboration and support NAFDAC’s regulatory policies. The goal is to establish a comprehensive understanding of the export processes, ensure a unified exportation procedure, and eliminate rejections of Nigerian export products.
The NAFDAC chief expressed disappointment that despite being a recognized authority in food safety with global accreditation in food safety testing, the agency’s role was not fully acknowledged in the requirements for issuing the Clean Certificate of Inspection (CCI) by Pre-shipment Inspection Agents.
“No wonder there are high volumes of rejection from Nigeria, as NAFDAC regulated products were not tested nor production processes validated for compliance before export.
“NAFDAC’s door is opened to enhance export and trade, we encourage and support trade of quality products’, she said, adding ‘we are enjoining PIAs to be part of the game and make sure we collaborate effectively,” she added.
Trade plays a vital role in Nigeria’s economy, as evidenced by its export of $57.7 billion worth of goods in 2021, positioning the country as the 52nd largest exporter in the world. According to Adeyeye, the Director General, among the agricultural commodities Nigeria exported during the first nine months of 2022, cocoa beans, sesame seeds, cashew, and seven others topped the list, generating N427.6 billion or $1.02 billion.
Adeyeye emphasized that a significant portion of Nigeria’s exported agricultural commodities faced challenges, with the European Union often rejecting them due to failure to meet required standards. She further noted that EU countries seized approximately 82 percent of Nigeria’s illegally exported agricultural products.
