By Ladi Gbegi
Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, is working to resolve irregularities in the food export system while also fostering initiatives to unlock the healthcare value chain for effective transformation.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, shared this information on Wednesday in Abuja during a courtesy visit from Dr. Muhammad Pate, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, to her office.
Also on the courtesy visit was the Director-General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control ,NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye.
The two ministries with their management, met to address some issues on irregularities on exportation of food, areas on unlocking healthcare and other important issues.
Pate said that the issues have been lingering between the ministries and needed to be tackled effectively.
He said that the issues were important to the two ministries, adding that the effort was to support President Bola Tinubu in his agenda towards transforming the country.
“This meeting is bringing two sectors that are ordinarily not closely connected. But there are specific things that have prompted to reach out, which has to do with the exportation of food and its regulation.
“The second element is the role of the regulatory body, NAFDAC, in constraining or enabling the trade that we have across various borders.
“The third issue is the regulatory function links to our efforts to unlock the healthcare value chain.
“These are issues that have been lingering, and I thought we should seize this opportunity to come together, as we are all on the same team”, he stated.
The Minister emphasized that the goal was to ensure Nigeria achieves significant progress in these areas over the long term.
In her response, Oduwole assured that both ministries would begin collaborating to unlock the healthcare value chain.
She noted the importance of addressing these issues effectively, as they were crucial and required targeted action.
“I was briefed on the draft policy and the plan for manufacturing medical devices such as syringes and needles in Nigeria”, she said. “We need to identify key areas of concern, review resolutions, and determine where my ministry should weigh in during future discussions”.
Oduwole further explained that the meeting aimed to assess the merits and drawbacks of the policy, especially regarding manufacturing concerns.
“These matters fall directly under the eight-point agenda of Mr. President”, she added.
The Director-General of NAFDAC emphasized the need for Nigerians to shift their mindset regarding the exportation of goods, stressing that regulatory agencies must enforce regulations more effectively. She noted that these efforts would help prevent the embarrassment of having Nigerian goods rejected abroad.
Earlier,Technical Aide to the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment, Mr. Temiloluwa Oluokun highlighted some ongoing challenges within the ministry.
He pointed out that one of the issues stemming from the regulatory reform program was the denomination of permit fees in Naira. “Some of these fees are not denominated in local currency. It is important to progressively shift all fees to Naira to protect our exporters from exchange rate fluctuations”, he said.
Oluokun also mentioned the urgent need to address timelines for processing certificates and improving private sector participation. “The recommendations are clear: we must revisit the export regulation for 2024 with broad industry consultations to balance oversight with efficiency”,he added.
Director of the Federal Produce Inspectorate Service, Mr. Dafang Sule appealed to the Ministry of Health to assist in training officers on the proper use of equipment to tackle the persistent pesticide residue issue in sesame seeds.
After extensive deliberation, the two ministries agreed to form a team to address the discussed issues. They confirmed that the team would soon schedule a meeting to review and resolve these matters
