Concern over product quality and regulatory compliance took center stage as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) issued a caution to manufacturers operating within the Kano Free Trade Zone, urging them to desist from sharp practices capable of damaging Nigeria’s global credibility.
The agency’s Coordinator in Kano, Kassim Ibrahim, delivered the warning during a two-day investors and stakeholders forum themed “Strengthening Partnership for Efficient Service Delivery in the Free Trade Zone.” According to him, Nigeria’s regulatory ecosystem cannot afford lapses that could threaten NAFDAC’s standing as a World Health Organization Global Benchmarking Tool Maturity Level 3 (ML3) agency—an achievement that followed years of rigorous reforms.
Ibrahim explained that quality failures in products manufactured within the free trade zone—whether intended for domestic markets or export—do not only affect the companies involved but also risk tarnishing NAFDAC’s reputation and, by extension, Nigeria’s credibility in global trade. He stressed that products bearing NAFDAC registration numbers reflect the agency’s seal of assurance, making it essential that standards remain uncompromised.
He emphasized strict adherence to safety, quality, and efficacy guidelines, warning operators that exporting substandard items under the belief that they would escape domestic scrutiny is a major threat to the country’s regulatory profile. “Anything they find in the importing country that falls short of the standard indirectly or directly affects NAFDAC,” he noted, urging manufacturers to maintain high production standards at all times.
To reinforce compliance, Ibrahim disclosed that NAFDAC is preparing to conduct unannounced inspections within the zone as part of efforts to strengthen surveillance and curb sharp practices.
In a related development, the Managing Director of the Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), Dr. Olufemi Ogunyemi, highlighted the zone’s improving revenue performance. Represented by the Head of the Kano Free Trade Zone, Richard Bassey, he announced that the zone generated N18.8 billion within a 10-month period—N1.8 billion from the free trade zone itself and N17 billion from Customs operations. The figures, he said, reflect a significant uptick compared to previous years.
Ogunyemi described the forum’s theme as timely, noting that strengthened partnerships are essential for eliminating operational bottlenecks and improving the overall efficiency of the free trade zone.