National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it has simplified registration requirement and process to encourage prospective entrepreneurs in Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises (MSMEs).
The South-East Director of NAFDAC, Mrs Olajumoke Ojetokun, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Wednesday.
Ojetokun said that the initiative was meant to give necessary government backing to MSMEs to thrive both locally and internationally.
She said that the move followed the Federal Government’s directive on the Ease of Doing Business initiative and that NAFDAC was one of the lead implementing agencies.
According to her, the intending MSME entrepreneurs, who want to get certificated and have NAFDAC number, will submit nine simplified documents required for registration.
She listed the documents to include Application for product registration; Application form; Certificate of Incorporation; Evidence of Trademark Registration (optional) and Organogram of Company and credentials of key personnel.
Other are SOPs for Production (supervision procedure), Quality Control, Cleaning, Distribution and Recall; Samples of product label; Certificate of analysis of raw materials (optional); Medical certificate of fitness for the food handlers and evidence of payment of NAFDAC charges.
The director said that it only takes six simplified steps for the registration process, which must be completed in 60 days as stipulated in the new registration guideline.
She said that the simplified registration process included Application for product registration/Inspection of facility; review/vetting of inspection report and laboratory evaluation of sample.
The others are the submission of product briefs by State offices to the Zonal office; Zonal approval consideration of the products and allocation of NAFDAC Registration Number to the product.
She said that the agency had reduced its registration tariffs by 50 per cent for MSMEs.
She further said that the agency now allowed MSMEs entrepreneurs to share facilities for production to reduce cost of production and doing business in the country.
Ojetokun said that the categories of MSMEs products registered under the zone included bread products, packaged water (bottle and sachet) renewal only, dry finger foods (chin-chin, pop-corn, plantain and potato chips) and locally grown rice and other packaged farm produce.
She said that others were seasoning and spices, palm oil, honey, dried fish and fish products, dried meat and meat products, hand wash, liquid soaps, car wash, dish wash and petroleum jelly. (NAN)
