Experts raised alarms over Nigeria’s persistent reliance on imported laboratory equipment and the urgent need to enhance laboratory analytics and quality assurance at the fifth annual Conference of Public Analysts, organized by the Society of Testing Laboratory Analysts of Nigeria (SoTLAN).
The three-day event, themed ‘Optimising Laboratory Analytics and Quality Assurance in the Present Economy,’ brought together professionals to discuss the pressing issues facing the country’s laboratory sector.
“Notably, the government’s withdrawal of funding from professional agencies and the dissolution of the Governing Council had compounded the sector’s challenges,” said Olugbenga Ogunmoyela, president of SoTLAN and chairman of the Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria IPAN Council in his welcome address while emphasizing the significant hurdles the industry faced over the past year.
He stated that the government’s directive and the removal of fuel and electricity subsidies prevented the usual interim Presidential Committee from functioning as it normally would.
IPAN is a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Health and was established by the IPAN Act CAP.I16 LFN 2004 to train, examine, register public analysts and regulate their practice while SoTLAN is the professional arm and non-governmental association of Public Analysts in Nigeria.
However, it was earlier reported the association’s plea to the Federal Government to reconstitute IPAN’s governing council and pay off the salary arrears of the affected staff without further delay.
In June 2023, the President, Bola Tinubu dissolved the governing boards of all Federal Government parastatals, agencies, institutions, and government-owned companies.
However, in January 2024, Tinubu restored funding for 13 national health regulators including IPAN that were initially defunded in the 2024 budget.
Ogunmoyela stated that despite the challenges, the association has been able to manage the uncertainties, adding that the situation created the need to chart a clearer future in the event of such an occurrence.
“The support of the government and the spirited financial sector will break the choking yoke of under-investment in the analytical laboratory sector nationwide.
“We are determined to advocate, solicit, and relate with the government for access to the multi-billion-naira support needed to revitalise our professional sector in the overall interest of the environment, and health of the nation. As we have always noted, the long-term benefits to the nation in terms of self-reliance and stoppage of capital flight in this sector will be enormous,” Ogunmoyela said.
Also speaking, Mary-Anne Adeeko, a Fellow of the Institute and former Secretary of the International Association of Independent Laboratories, said there is need for a trusted lab report using standardised tests to determine chemical and physical features materials and products for human consumption and the environment.
“The trusted lab report gives confidence and reliability to customers. The trusted lab report breaks the technical barriers of international trade permanently. It maintains the sustainable level of exports and makes testing business profitable with high return on investment,” she asserts.
Speaking further, Adeeko highlighted the importance of analytics, stating that it helped businesses to perform efficiently, maximise profits and make more strategic and guided decisions.
The quality assurance and quality system management expert further noted that although the laboratory equipment and maintenance were expensive to purchase, install and maintain, in the long run, it gave credibility to the lab and helped the business to grow.
Adeeko mentioned that aside from the challenges of poor return on investments, high costs of analysis, and high equipment and maintenance costs, labs in Nigeria lacked government support.
According to her, this led to the inability of private labs to compete with advanced technology and meet the quality control requirements for foreign customers.
“So, in pursuance of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we need to update the material quality policy to facilitate and support the standards methodology and accreditation. All these are requirements for the credibility of the scientific parameters because they deal with the system that produces the scientific parameters.
“The National Quality Assurance Infrastructure was set up with the funding from the UN to review the quality infrastructure available and then it was a new suggestion to the National Quality Assurance Institute. It was a new suggestion to fix the national quality issues. I’m happy to say that we were part of this national quality infrastructure process,” she said.
Adeeko further urged the analysts to study and understand the provisions of the Nigerian quality policy and implement the requirements for efficiency and effectiveness.
The quality assurance and quality system management expert also encouraged the participants to think internationally and act nationally.
She called for the training of young analysts on laboratory technology, assembling and maintenance to reduce the cost of laboratory maintenance and in the long run become a technical training institute, leading to job creation and increased revenues.
Adeeko urged SoTLAN to collaborate with the stakeholders, the equipment suppliers and the laboratories to increase team activities.
During the conference, Ogunmoyela emphasized the need for self-reliance in laboratory analytics. “We have to begin to think inwards and reduce the level of capital flight,” he said. He also highlighted the importance of developing local competencies and ensuring a robust future for young analysts in Nigeria.
The event celebrated international observances such as World Laboratory Day, World Environment Day, and World Food Safety Day, recognising the critical role of public analysts in addressing environmental and food safety challenges. Sixteen new Fellows were inducted during the conference, acknowledging their significant contributions to the profession.
Despite economic challenges, Ogunmoyela expressed gratitude for the support received from members and corporate sponsors, reinforcing the collective effort needed to advance Nigeria’s laboratory sector.
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