WELCOME ADDRESS BY THE ACTING DIRECTOR-GENERAL (NAFDAC), MRS. YETUNDE ONI AT THE PRESENTATION CEREMONY OF ISO 17025 ACCREDITATION CERTIFICATE TO NAFDAC AREA LABORATORY, KADUNA AT TRANSCORP HILTON HOTEL, ABUJA

27TH JULY, 2017

DG at NAFDAC
Jul 27, 2017 · 4 min read

PROTOCOL

It is with a heart full of gratitude to God that I welcome you to this epoch-making event organised to present ISO/IEC 17025: 2005 Accreditation Certificate to NAFDAC Area Laboratory, Kaduna by ANSI — ASQ International Accreditation Board (ANAB).
The laboratory has been accredited to undertake multiple testing methods, which include:
✓ High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)
✓ Ultraviolet Violet/Visible Spectroscopy (UV)
✓ Dissolution testing
✓ Weight variation (content uniformity)
✓ Loss on drying (LOD)
✓ pH and Karl Fisher titration (for water determination).

This, therefore, implies that NAFDAC Area Laboratory, Kaduna can test all classes of pharmaceutical products, raw materials and excipients. This is an indication that NAFDAC Area Laboratory, Kaduna is technically competent and internationally recognised to produce accurate and valid test results using only validated and official methods. Thus, test results from NAFDAC Area laboratory, Kaduna will enjoy international acceptance on the quality of tested pharmaceutical products.

Permit me to digress a bit here: Talking about credibility, I have an experience to share on the confidence reposed on the test results from our laboratories. Recently in a survey jointly carried out by USP and NAFDAC to determine the quality of Oxytocin Injections nationwide, unknown to us, USP also sent the same batch of the samples of the drug to USP Laboratory in India. The results of analysis obtained from USP laboratory in India were the same with the results obtained in NAFDAC Laboratory.

At this juncture, I wish to express our immense gratitude to our Partners and Sponsors especially, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Convention for their valuable contributions and commitment to the success story of the accreditation.

The process for the ISO/IEC 17025: 2005 accreditation started in December 2015 with gap assessment of our facilities by a team of experts from USP, followed by diverse trainings on the required standards for testing; thereafter, procurement and supply of some equipment/instruments as well as calibration, pre audit and final audit, which were all funded by USAID.

It is worthy to state emphatically that with this feat the NAFDAC Area Laboratory, Kaduna has joined the list of other elite NAFDAC Sister Laboratories that are accredited. There are seven NAFDAC Laboratories nationwide, four of which have been accredited internationally. These are:

▪ NAFDAC Central Laboratory Oshodi accredited by (A2LA) to undertake chemical testing of food products since 2013
▪ Central Drug Control Laboratory, Yaba accredited by ANAB for testing pharmaceutical products in 2014
▪ NAFDAC Zonal Laboratory, Agulu, Anambra State in 2016.
▪ NAFDAC Area Laboratory. Kaduna

The remaining three laboratories namely: Maiduguri Area Laboratory, Port Harcourt and Biologics laboratory Yaba Lagos are working hard to be accredited. This shows healthy rivalry among the laboratories.
The Agency is also working hard to sustain the International accreditation. The issue of accreditation, sustainability and funding is quite critical and capital intensive but the Agency is doing all it takes to sustain the International accreditation in all our accredited laboratories.

This newly accredited laboratory (Kaduna Area laboratory) is very strategic to NAFDAC in particular and the Nation at large because it handles products from the North West and North Central geopolitical zones of the country, which is quite vast. In addition to testing products from Kaduna and environ, the NAFDAC Area Laboratory, Kaduna also supports other Laboratories in-house to clear backlog.

Honourable Minister of State Sir, I wish to use this opportunity to appeal to you for possible assistance to complete the building of NAFDAC Area Laboratory, Kaduna and equip the facility with additional instruments in order to extend the scope of accreditation to microbiology testing, pesticide residue, veterinary residue and mycotoxin testing. This will assist in generating data and testing for export products and the lifting of ban on the export of beans from Nigeria.

I wish to thank my diligent, devoted and industrious colleagues of Kaduna Area Laboratory for the feat achieved and to implore them not to rest on their oars. I entreat you to double your efforts to sustain the accreditation and work hard for extension to other scopes.

I thank also the Government and People of Kaduna state for their hospitality and creating an enabling environment for my colleagues to work and live.

We appreciate the presence of everyone that has made the event of today a success.

I wish you safe journey to your various destinations.

Thank you for your attention.

DG at NAFDAC

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