The rejection of Nigeria’s and other African countries’ food exports by the Western world, put at $700 million, will be over soon as Afreximbank on Wednesday commissioned the first series of African Quality Assurance Centre (AQAC) in Sagamu, Ogun State.
Benedict Oramah, president of Afreximbank, said the Centre is one of the many quality assurance Centres that Afreximbank is building across Africa to facilitate trade.
He explained that the Centre is a state-of-the-art facility with the capacity to offer testing, certification, inspection, and training services covering agricultural products.
“It is the first in a series of Quality Assurance Centres that Afreximbank intends to establish across Africa to support industrialisation across the continent by ensuring that African products are manufactured to international standards and enabling them to participate in intra-African and global trade,” he said.
First class quality infrastructure is considered critical in facilitating trade under the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
He noted that in recent years the use of restrictive measures by European countries on African exports have grown.
Speaking at a press conference before the commissioning of the facility, Adedapo Abiodun, governor of Ogun State, said the quality assurance Centre aims at stopping the moving of Nigeria’s products to other countries for testing and to ensure that agro foods are exported to other countries and that will boost exports.
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He said the Centre will increase the ranking of Ogun State and Nigeria in the ease of doing business.
Abiodun commended Oramah and the entire Afreximbank team for pulling the Centre off.
He pledged to continue to provide a conducive environment for such initiatives to thrive.
“I urge all manufacturers and industrialists to take advantage of the facility,” he said, while opening the State doors for other investors to come in.
Speaking at the official commissioning of the Centre, President Muhammadu Buhari, said the quality assurance Centre will drive Nigeria’s industrialisation and boost jobs creation.
Represented by Niyi Adebayo, minister of trade and investment, he said the Centre will give Nigeria an unprecedented advantage in the implementation of the AfCFTA.
Construction of the Ogun State AQAC commenced on 25th February 2021 and is expected to provide more than 400 jobs in the local area, including over 180 in the highly skilled areas of quality assurance, testing, inspection, and certification.
In addition, an on-site training academy will provide the public and private sector with training in standards and quality assurance, as well as the skills necessary for businesses to compete in regional and international markets.
The AQAC is strategically located on a 5-hectare plot of land allocated by the Ogun State Government along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The project site is 65km from Lagos, Nigeria’s main port city and commercial capital, and 75km from Ibadan, a major commercial and industrial hub in south-western Nigeria. It is also at the center of a region known for export agriculture.
Marc Roussel, Bureau Veritas Africa Senior Vice President, said: “We are very proud to be involved in this project and believe it can effectively shape trust between companies, public authorities and consumers. The AQAC will help improve the quality of Nigerian agricultural and food products, providing a boost to businesses and ensuring the well-being of local consumers. At the same time, compliance with international standards will facilitate access to export markets and thus increase the economic activity and employment in Nigeria.”
