Wilson Adekumola
The Micro, Small and Medium Entrepreneur have bemoaned the excessive charges of testing and stringent processes local businesses face to get approvals from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administrative Control.
According to the Guardian, Vice-President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry and head of chamber’s Public Affairs and Advocacy Committee, Prince Abimbola Olashore, made this disclosure.
He explained that the committee had met several times with Micro, Small and Medium Entrepreneurs over their challenges, noting that this issue affects the business climate, undermines private enterprise, interrupts the bottom line while defeating ease of doing business.
“Over the years, MSMEs’ long-standing problems with NAFDAC remain unresolved. NAFDAC is not an exception to the bureaucratic processes of MDAs, which are largely responsible for the increased operating costs, wasteful utilisation of samples, and poor competitive standing of Nigerian MSMEs in the wake of the Africa Continental Free Trade Act,” Olashore said.
He lamented that the NAFDAC’s charges to obtain certifications or test products are becoming intolerable for many MSMEs, including those businesses that were onboarded at a discounted rate during the pandemic.
“The price of tests that businesses that want to get certified have to do, has increased by more than 80 per cent, putting Nigerian businesses at risk of becoming less competitive compared to those of other AfCFTA nations; whose goal is to aggressively penetrate the Nigerian market. The business community has attributed wastefulness to NAFDAC’s habitual sample collection of numerous finished goods.”
Olashore who spoke on behalf of the chamber, urged NAFDAC to revisit and revise the policy so that fewer samples are collected, distributed, or shared to reach the desired quantity for laboratory testing.
He noted that his procedure would reduce cost, wastefulness and inefficiency caused by tests and other related obstacles.
