Dr. Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, has advocated for a complete ban on the importation of syringes and needles in order to boost domestic manufacturing and advance the country’s economy.
According to a statement released on Sunday and signed by Sayo Akintola, the resident media consultant for the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Alausa made this comment during his tour of the Afrimedical Manufacturing and Supplies Limited syringe plant in Ogun State.
According to the statement, Alausa toured the factory with a number of officials, including the UN Deputy Secretary General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director-General of NAFDAC, and Mrs. Doris Uzo-Anite, Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment.
The minister reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to give the local manufacturing sector the assistance it needs to increase its GDP contribution.
He acknowledged that the reorganization of Nigeria’s syringe and needle manufacturing industry was done so to ensure that high-quality products made by Nigerians would be available and provide profitable job opportunities for Nigerians.
The minister begged NAFDAC to make sure that unrestrained syringe importation did not hinder local industry growth by creating unfavorable competition.
“Don’t give them any more authorisation to import. We need to protect the local industry through the backward integration model aimed at enhancing the local capacity,’’ he said.
In her own words, the NAFDAC DG emphasized that the issue of inferior, fake medical equipment entering the nation through the ports requires a comprehensive response from all pertinent government institutions.
She claims that the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency has also been instructed to support regional syringe producers in order to expand the operations of Nigerian manufacturing enterprises and create jobs for Nigerians.
Adding that NPHCDA was given its last permit on December 2023
“However, for the local manufacturers, we are doing hand-holding with our syringe companies. Hand-holding, means we are working with them by correcting whatever we find wrong or inappropriate in their operations,” she said.
Mr. Mofid Karameh, the Chairman of Mikano International, the parent company of Afrimedical Manufacturing and Supplies Limited, stated that his organization was ready to transform the market in order to reestablish Nigeria as the leading center in Africa.
The company’s aspirations to produce high-quality syringes for Nigeria as well as several neighboring nations was also emphasized by Mr. Akin Oyediran, Managing Director of Afrimedical.
