The National Agency For Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has urged micro, small and medium scale enterprises to deal with the agency directly in getting their products registered, as opposed to going through various consultants and middle men.
The director general of the agency, Mojisola Adeyeye, who noted this, explained that consultants and middle men have been the reason for the increasing problems and high cost of registration, faced by the MSMEs in easily getting their products registered.
“Part of the problem we have had in the past regarding high registration costs is due to interactions of MSMEs with consultants hence, we urge them to deal directly with the agency,” Adeyeye said in an interview on Surisedaily.
NAFDAC over the weekend launched a palliative for MSMEs, reducing registration cost, as a way of easing the pains of the coronavirus on small businesses, known to be the engine of growth of the economy.
The agency slashed as much as 80 percent in tariffs from a previous 50 percent discount, for the registration of micro and small enterprises products for a period of three months, as well as zero tariffs for the first 200 micro and small companies to register their products on the launch day.
It also gave waivers on administrative charges for late renewal of expired licenses for products of micro and small businesses.
With the new reduction, the average cost of tariff is now around N7,000 as opposed to the average cost of N21,000 two years ago, Adeyeye said.
The main reason for this, she explained, was to give the needed form of support to small businesses which would in turn stimulate job creation in the economy.
She noted that businesses can now get products registered and inspected on the e-registration platform of the agency.
According to her, the agency has moved to strengthening the communication link between businesses and agencies by setting up virtual assistants to communicate with MSMEs who uses the platform.
“We have been certified by International Organizations for Standardization, making us an agency that is customer focused,” she said.
Meanwhile, the food and drugs agency boss, says NAFDAC has set up a committee made up of about 40 researchers and herbalists, in a move that is aimed at supporting both the production of orthodox and home grown vaccines for the coronavirus pandemic.
According to her, the committee would help in correcting the distrust that exists between both parties.
“While both the researchers and the herbalist work together, we have come up with a confidentiality agreement and a patent for both parties that would safeguard new inventions and so far they have been happy” Adeyeye said.
