National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control

NAFDAC

Established: 1993
Director General:Paul Bortwev Orhii
Headquarters: Abuja, FCT, Nigeria

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is a Nigerian federal agency under the Federal Ministry of Health that is responsible for regulating and controlling the manufacture, importation, exportation, advertisement, distribution, sale and use of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals and packaged water. The current director-general of NAFDAC, Paul Orhii, holds a PhD in medicine.

The Formation of NAFDAC

The organization was formed to checkmate illicit and counterfeit products in Nigeria in 1993 under the country's health and safety law. Adulterated and counterfeit drugs are a problem in Nigeria. In one 1989 incident, over 150 children died as a result of paracetamol syrup containing diethylene glycol. The problem of fake drugs was so severe that neighbouring countries such as Ghana and Sierra Leone officially banned the sale of drugs, foods and beverages products made in Nigeria.

Such problems led to the establishment of NAFDAC, with the goal of eliminating counterfeit pharmaceuticals, foods and beverages products that are not manufactured in Nigeria and ensuring that available medications are safe and effective.

The formation of NAFDAC was inspired by a 1988 World Health Assembly resolution requesting countries' help in combating the global health threat posed by counterfeit pharmaceuticals.

In December 1992, NAFDAC's first governing council was formed. The council was chaired by Tanimu Saulawa. In January 1993, supporting legislation was approved as legislative Decree No. 15 of 1993. On January 1, 1994 NAFDAC was officially established as a “parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Health”.

NAFDAC replaced an earlier Federal Ministry of Health body, the Directorate of Food and Drug Administration and Control, which had been deemed ineffective, partially because of lack of laws concerning fake drugs.

Administration of NAFDAC

Chairman and council

“(NAFDAC) is headed by a chairman who presides over a governing council appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Minister of Health.”Other council members are:

  1. The permanent secretary of the Ministry of Health
  2. The director-general of NAFDAC
  3. Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON)
  4. The National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD)
  5. The chairman of the Pharmacists’ Council of Nigeria (PCN)
  6. The chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)
  7. A representative each of the Pharmaceutical Group and the Food and Beverages Group of the Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria.

Three people from the general public are also represented on the council.[1]

Several units make up NAFDAC:

Functions of NAFDAC

NAFDAC has various basic functions. According to the requirements of its enabling decree, the Agency was authorized to:

NAFDAC envisions that by making these functions known, that its actions will be apparent “in all sectors that deal with food, cosmetics, medical devices, bottled water, and chemicals to the extent of instilling extra need for caution and compulsion to respect and obey existing regulations both for healthy, living and knowledge of certain sanctions or default.Despite the establishment of NAFDAC, the sale and use of fake drugs did not end.

New Amendments since 2001

Dissatisfied with progress in combating fake drugs, President Olusegun Obasanjo's administration dissolved the management of NAFDAC in August 2000. In April 2001, a new management team, with Dora Akunyili as director-general, was inaugurated.[2] The team re-organized the agency, which has been successful in the recent past due to three new federal policies:

Achievements

NAFDAC has made several achievements over the years, including

Although the project has been launched, there are serious concerns of complicity, compromise and lack of professionalism in the delivery of the project; it does not however appear that the Presidency is aware of this. The above is buttressed by the following:

Stakeholders

NAFDAC ensures it maintains very close contact with a number of national and international organizations whose activities relate to the functions of NAFDAC. Such Organizations include the following.[5]

In order to keep in touch with the international scene for information, training, co-operation assistance, aid and for financing of specific projects, especially in these days of global and national austerity, the agency maintains close relationship with a number of international agencies some of which include:

See also

References

  1. 1 2 About NAFDAC. 2005. Retrieved on 2006-03-27
  2. 1 2 NAFDAC: Battle against fake drugs. 2003-03-04. Retrieved on 2006-03-25
  3. ↑ The Director General: Prof. Dora Nkem Akunyili (OFR) – Biography. NAFDAC Nigeria. Retrieved on 2007-07-25
  4. ↑ Achievements. (2005). Retrieved on March 31, 2006, from http://www.nafdacnigeria.org/achievements.html
  5. ↑ Stakeholders. (2005). Retrieved on April 10, 2006 from http://www.nafdacnigeria.org/stakeholders.html
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