How NAFDAC is tackling the challenge of food export rejection in Nigeria

Nigeria is blessed with abundant natural resources and a vibrant agricultural sector that produces a variety of food products for domestic and international markets. However, many of these products face rejection abroad due to poor quality and packaging standards. This is a huge loss for the country’s economy and reputation.

Patrick OdeyMay 21, 2023

2 minutes read

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has revealed that more than 70 per cent of food exports from Nigeria are rejected abroad by some European countries and the United States of America. This is a huge setback for the country’s agricultural sector, which accounts for more than half of its non-oil exports.

According to the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, the agency is working hard to address this problem by collaborating with other government agencies at the ports, such as the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Services, the police, the Department of State Services, Interpol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

She made this statement at the official commissioning of the New NAFDAC Office complex for the Murtala Muhammed International Airport/NAHCO in Lagos on Sunday. She said that the new office complex will enhance the agency’s capacity to regulate and facilitate export trade for regulated products leaving the country.

Prof Adeyeye said that one of the major reasons for the continuous rejection of Nigerian food exports abroad is the deplorable state of export warehouses within the international airport. She said that a visit to these warehouses will reveal the poor quality and packaging of some of the products being exported.

She added that NAFDAC is responding to this challenge by ensuring that food products meet the regulatory requirements of the importing countries and destinations before they are even packaged. She said that this will help to reduce the financial losses incurred by both the exporters and the country.

Prof Adeyeye also said that NAFDAC’s mandate to safeguard the health of the populace and ensure that food, medicines, cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals, and packaged water are safe, efficacious, and of good quality cannot be achieved without the effective presence of NAFDAC at the ports and land borders.

She commended the Nigeria Customs Service for its huge collaboration with NAFDAC, saying that without customs, NAFDAC will not be able to do a lot of what it has been able to do. She also appreciated the police for their assistance in terms of investigation and enforcement.

She said that NAFDAC is a complex organisation that combines scientific, regulatory and law enforcement functions. She said that NAFDAC works with other national and international agencies to combat unscrupulous stakeholders who endanger public health.