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Stakeholders in the agriculture and health
sector have called for an effective regulatory, institutional and policy
frameworks that will address the gaps in food and feed safety systems for the
sector to thrive.
Speaking at the Food and Feed
Safety expertise coordination workshop in Abuja yesterday, the CEO Designate,
Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG), Dr Tayo Aduloju, said the frameworks will
not only improve the well-being of citizens but also impact Nigeria's position
in international trade.
Aduloju noted that the country
has over 70 million hectares of agricultural land, which is a massive potential
for economic growth and development.
He stated that the private sector
plays a crucial role in the agricultural value chain, enhancing productivity,
opening markets, and attracting investment. Their active involvement in food
and feed safety, he said, will also improve food quality for consumption and
trade.
He said: ''To benefit effectively from the
African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCTA), reforming food and feed safety systems
in Nigeria is inevitable.
''There is still work to be done in the
ecosystem, and today, I will again reiterate the importance of collaboration,
coordination and cooperation to achieve our desired goals''.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social
Welfare, Prof. Mohammad Ali Pate, who was represented by his Special Adviser on
Operations, Mr Emmanuel Odu, said the ministry is making deliberate efforts to
ensure it attains the required National Health Security Status in Nigeria.
Pate noted that the Ministry is about to
validate the revised National Policy on Food Safety and Quality and its
Implementation Plan, 2023 as well as the launching of the first National
Integrated Guidelines for Foodborne Disease Surveillance and Response.
He said the revised policy will look at new
and emerging areas that will improve the regulatory, enforcement and
data-gathering system to ensure it is more effective, efficient, and robust.
He however said the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare prioritises Food Safety as a serious element of public health that requires concerted efforts.
Also, the Counsellor for
Agriculture Affairs, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA),
Christopher Bielecki said, over the last decade, the Nigerian government has
implemented important changes to increase food safety by examining and
enhancing critical components of the national food safety control system.
He said priority areas for
continuing modernisation of the food safety regulatory system will be
emphasised over the course of the preparation of the Food Safety and Quality
Bill and later prioritised by the competent authorities during and following a workshop
held in December 2022.
The workshop is jointly organised by the NESG,
Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Food and Agriculture Export
Alliance (FAEA), the USDA, and the University of Missouri (MU) as part of the
Africa Food Safety Initiative.
Courtesy: The Nation
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