NMSMEs Responsible for Nigeria’s Recovery from Recession, Says NAFDAC DG

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said Nigeria was able to recover from  economic recessions that hit it few years ago, due to the support from Nano Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (NMSMEs).

The agency said in view of  critical position of NMSMEs, it is ready to give her continued support to enable them to act as catalyst for the nation’s economic transformation.

Specifically, the NAFDAC said it would give more support to NMSMEs to grow the economy, by offering products’ renewal waiver to encourage business operators.

A statement by the Resident Media Consultant to NAFDAC, Sayo Akintola, quoted the Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, to have made the pledge recently at a meeting organised by the Lagos State Office of the a

gency with operators of NMSMEs, held in Lagos.

She said NAFDAC would continue to drive collaboration and understanding between NMSMEs and the regulatory authority with a view to empowering them to grow their businesses.

The statement quoted Adeyeye as having said  NMSMEs were driving the economy of Nigeria, adding that the country entered into recession few years ago and came out of it quickly despite the challenges of the mega industry. 

Adeyeye, said the NMSMEs sub-sector was the magic wand that sustained the economy during the turbulent times.

She said NAFDAC remained committed to meeting the yearnings and aspirations of the business community, noting that the gains and positive impact of subjecting their processes and products to regulatory scrutiny were immense.

According to the DG, such regulatory scrutiny was also meant to protect their businesses.

She lamented the incidence of rejected food exports from Nigeria at the point of entry due to bad quality, stressing that if such food items were subjected to NAFDAC scrutiny, the incidents of rejected food exports from Nigeria would have been greatly curtailed.

The NAFDAC boss, however, disclosed that the agency was already talking with the United Kingdom Department of Business and Trade to build a bilateral relationship whereby Nigerian products that are exported to the United Kingdom will be of quality, (having been registered and certified by NAFDAC).

“Please lets think of the future or where we can take our products to, she said, adding that Nigerians abroad, “are concerned about what we are doing in terms of food that they cannot live without overseas.”   

Adeyeye explained that three of NAFDAC’s mandate – food, packaged water, cosmetics and even some chemicals,  herbals were under NMSMEs

She urged operators of NMSMEs to always focus on one product that was well accepted by the consumers rather than manufacturing many products at the same time whereby none would be doing well in the market. 

“Don’t make five products at a time please. You can try it and the one that is fast you can focus on that and make it great,’’ she said, as she admonished NMSME operators to dream big by entering the global market with their products.

She emphasised the commercial benefits and opportunities that abound for products that have been subjected to regulatory scrutiny, describing them as immense.

One of such she said, was the possibility of exporting such goods.

“With exportation comes quality. Without being quality-conscious, exported products will be rejected. We are here to work with you to take your trading to the level that you want. I want us to also think not of just what we consume here but what we can export,” she added.