Ambassador Mariam Katagum, Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, applauded the recent approval obtained by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to return to the ports in order to collaborate with the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) to combat the menace of substandard at all entry points in Nigeria.
She also reaffirmed his ministry’s commitment to assisting SON in carrying out its mandate.
Katagum made the announcement at the 9th African Day of Standardisation 2022 in Lagos, which was co-hosted by SON and the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO) and was themed “Promoting the African Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Industries through Standardisation.”
As a result, she urged the SON and all regulatory authorities involved in the industry to redouble their efforts to ensure that only goods and services that meet the established standards are available in the country.
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She did, however, say that the day is celebrated annually on the African continent to create and promote awareness on issues relating to standardisation and conformity assessment among ARSO member countries.
She stated that the theme was very appropriate, given that the world is still dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, and that it speaks to the need for Africa and Africans to pay greater attention to promoting home-made solutions to some of the challenges confronting the continent, in accordance with the laid down standards.
According to her, the need to accelerate the development of the pharmaceutical industry on the continent became more apparent in the aftermath of the Covid-19 Pandemic, which restricted the movement of goods and services globally.
She stated that the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has transformed the African continent into a single massive market, giving Africa a competitive advantage in trading with other continents as a whole.
She emphasised that SON, as a founding member of ARSO and one of the driving forces behind the development of continental standards as well as the harmonisation of National Standards across the continent, has consistently and positively projected the country’s image.
“The federal government of Nigeria has evolved policies and strategies to promote not only the growth of the pharmaceutical industry, but also financial support through special intervention funds and repositioning of the industry for more investments.” “These efforts have endeared the Nigerian pharmaceutical industry to investors,” she said.
She stated that in order to strengthen support for the pharmaceutical and medical industries, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment is currently developing a policy framework for the development of the Health Industries Corporation of Nigeria in collaboration with key stakeholders (HICON).
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Previously, SON Director General Mallam Farouk Salim stated that policies, guidelines, and regulations enacted by African governments to facilitate the development of the pharmaceutical industry in Africa will be reinforced.
He added that harmonising standards in the pharmaceutical industry would create an opportunity for the African pharmaceuticals market, which is expected to reach a $45 billion business opportunity due to a convergence of changing economic profiles, rapid urbanisation, increased healthcare spending and investments.
The SON chief added that the African Union Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa (PMPA) implementation is focused on improved access, quality, availability, and affordability of pharmaceutical products, as well as increased economic benefits through the industry’s sustainability, competitiveness, and self-reliance.
He emphasised some of the challenges confronting the continent’s pharmaceutical industry, such as strengthening regulatory systems resulting from Africa’s small fragmented markets, saying that weak regulatory frameworks and incoherent trade policies remain important.
