Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) has trained owners of agro-allied Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) modalities to add value to their products in order to meet the requirements by the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
Speaking at the three-day training on Tuesday in Lafia, Nasarawa State, Mrs Mercy Olorunfemi, Project Manager, Business Support of GAIN said they are Swiss-based founded group aimed at tackling human suffering caused by malnutrition.
She explained that the training became imperative as according to her, most agro-allied products in Nigeria are being sold without NAFDAC registration thereby limiting the scope of their market.
She added that they are offering technical assistance to the businesses they are working with to meet NAFDAC regulatory requirements.
“We understand that it is always difficult for business to register with NAFDAC due to lack of understanding of the process, most of the businesses we are working with, so, we brought in NAFDAC to explain the procedure for registration to the SMEs around.
“This will help to provide more access to safe and nutrition food in our market places and the entire country,” she added.
The project manager further explained that products are not safe if not register and therefore, are also not nutrition because they are not safe.
Olorunfemi added that the training was also aimed at transforming food system to deliver more nutritious food to the people.
The project manager also said that registering products would help toward ensuring that food and nutrition security which is one of the most pressing challenges for sustainable economic development is addressed.
“We believe that everyone in the world should have access to nutrition and safe food, so we work to deliver specific solutions to the daily challenge of food insecurity faced by poor people.
On his part, Pharm. Shaba Mohammed, North-Central Director of NAFDAC said that the agency intend to use the training to empower SMEs on how to register their products to get certification to operate without limit.
He explained that the thorough screening and inspection of facilities by the agency is to ensure that only food products that are safe for consumption are allowed into the market.
He added that the essence of the thorough procedure is to ensure that the food in the market are good for consumption and the do not have side effect.
He explained that application for registration has been simplify now and can also be done online.
Contributing at the event, Mrs Amina Edo-Jatau, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PJ Enterprise from Benue State expressed gratitude to GAIN for the opportunity to interface with NAFDAC on the process to register her company.
She explained that her company has not been register and that had limited her market to only family and friends because of lack of registration number.
“With this workshop, I can now register and begin to sale my products openly in the market,” she added.
The SMEs are drown from Benue, Plateau, Kaduna and Nasarawa States respectively. (NAN).