The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC says it will focus on five pillars of healthcare, which are strong governance and leadership, institutionalisation of best practices, safety and quality of regulated products and monitoring the supply chain.
The Director General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, made this known at a news briefing in Lagos on Thursday while reflecting on the agency’s accomplishments over the past seven years and what it will do in 2025.
It says, “Apart from the promotion of local pharmaceutical manufacturing and further strengthening of the regulatory system to safeguard public health, it will focus more on maternal, newborn, and child health “.
Explaining further, the DG NAFDAC notes that, the Agency stopped the registration of sachet alcohol since February 2024 as part of a campaign to curb its accessibility, especially to young people.
According to Adeyeye, “There was a publication some days ago from the United States (U.S), linking alcohol to almost all the bad things that can happen to a human being, from cancer to liver failure and all. “That is part of the reason why we are focusing on sachet alcohols because of children.”
To this end, she said NAFDAC was stepping up sensitisation on it.
“We have stopped the registration of sachet alcohol completely, there has been no registration of sachet alcohol since February of 2024,” she said
According to her, despite NAFDAC’s extensive regulatory responsibilities, the agency is acutely understaffed, hence the need to address the problem of an inadequate workforce in the agency.
She said, “To meet the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Benchmarking requirements, the agency plans to engage volunteers while awaiting statutory approval for additional hires.
” The agency requires 10,000 workers to effectively oversee the population’s needs but has only 2000 staff nationwide “.
“We burn candles on both ends,” she stated, emphasising that the current workforce is overstretched but remains resolute in safeguarding public health and maintaining Nigeria’s global standing.
“Efforts to address this include stringent recruitment processes to ensure integrity and competence. While the agency seeks to double its current staff, identifying funding as one of the challenges limiting the pace of expansion.
“Volunteers are also being incorporated into the workforce, with candidates undergoing the same rigorous screening as regular staff.
On infrastructure and tools for efficiency, she said NAFDAC plans to complete 10 state and zonal offices, as well as laboratories, including the Vaccines, Biologics, and Medical Devices Laboratory in Oshodi.
Manufacturers will be incentivised to produce paediatric medicines, supported by regulatory inspection and WHO Prequalification processes, she stated.
Further, on tackling Substandard and Falsified Products:
“The agency aims to minimise the prevalence of falsified and substandard products to less than five per cent through stringent post-marketing surveillance and inspections.
Cluster registration of globally listed products and enhanced stakeholder engagement will ensure transparency and consumer safety.” Adeyeye stated