By Mustapha Sumaila
Abuja – The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Thursday said it had met with its counterparts in other African countries to harmonise their activities for common goal.
The NAFDAC Acting Director General, Mrs Yetunde Oni, disclosed this in Abuja while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the first meeting of the Steering Committee on Regulatory Systems Strengthening and Harmonisation Initiatives in Africa (AMRH) held in South Africa.
Oni explained that the meeting was initiated to harmonise regulatory bodies like NAFDAC in Africa with a view to having uniform activities.
She said that the forum, which met on Sept. 4 and Sept. 5, 2017 in Midrand, South Africa, would ensure common standard and efficacy of medical products regulated by concerned agencies in the region.
According to her, regulatory system strengthening will be mainly on medical products like medicine, medical devices and vaccines, among others.
The NAFDAC boss stated that the step taken would ease the means of doing business as far as medical regulated products were concerned on the continent.
She added that “Nigeria was honoured to chair the two-day meeting because NAFDAC was unanimously nominated to preside the sessions.”
She said that participants included Regional Economic Communities from ECOWAS, East Economic Communities, South Africa Development Community, Organisation for the Fight Against Endemic Disease in Central Africa and Intergovernmental Authority for Development.
Oni noted that representatives from partners like WHO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and NEPAD secretariat also attended. (NAN)