By Yetunde Fatungase
Abeokuta: The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned stakeholders to avoid practices capable of undermining the functions of the agency.
The Director, Southwest Zone, Mrs Roseline Ajayi, gave the warning at a recent stakeholders’ engagement in Abeokuta.
She said the engagement had become imperative to keep stakeholders abreast of evolving technological advancements.
According to her, the agency recognises that continuous engagement and collaborations would foster better understanding of regulatory requirements between “the regulated and the regulator’’.
She said that any manufacturer or business owner who flouted any compliance directive would be sanctioned.
“There’s no doubt that with advancement in technology, increase in knowledge, research outcomes, climate change effect and the AfCFTA agreement, the regulatory space has been evolving.
“This is why the requirements have also been changing to match with the trend in the regulatory space.
“Those in the drug manufacturing sector have witnessed a lot of changes recently and all efforts are aimed at repositioning the facilities for global competition,’’ she said.
She urged stakeholders to use their smart phones for registration and documentation on the agency’s website, to avoid third party influence of being extorted or duped.
Ajayi said that all stakeholders should see themselves as whistleblowers as the agency could not be everywhere at once.
She said the agency had strengthened all its processes by providing monitoring tools for more routine and surveillance activities.
In his remarks, the Coordinator of NAFDAC in Ogun, Mr Daniel Danjuma, thanked the stakeholders for deeming it fit to attend the workshop.
He noted that the workshop was not to witch-hunt them, rather to help them advance in their businesses with global best practices.
In their separate responses, the stakeholders urged the agency to create more offices in the state.
NAN reports that some of the stakeholders include water producers, patent medicine store operators, master bakers, supermarket owners and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) groups. (NAN)/ Flowerbudnews
