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Nigeria

General Information

• WHO Africa - Country Profile: http://www.afro.who.int/des/fos/country_profiles/nigeria.pdf
• The main food safety and quality problems encountered by the country’s exports include; product quality (problem of HACCP), Poor packaging and absence of compliance and health certificates. The mechanism for collection and dissemination of information about the export is not available and is hindered by the Inspection evasion and porous borders. The main food safety and quality problems encountered with the country’s imports include spoilage & nearness to expiry dates; poor handling of dehydration; substandard/fake products; non-indication of production dates; deceitful labelling; over pricing; and instruction manuals in foreign languages. However, mechanism for monitoring food imports is available, but hindered by the some shortcomings such as instruction manuals in foreign languages; inadequate laboratory equipments & materials; inadequate manpower development. The food laws have been pointed out and they are implemented at Central level by NAFDAC; NIG. Institute of Oceanography and marine research and Federal Ministry of Agriculture; P rovincial level by the NAFDAC and state Government Agencies and at the Local Level by the Task forces/LG Authorities, NAFDAC; Primary Health Care Development Agency. Implementation of these laws are faced with various constraints, among which include; issues on food and nutrition and related activities are largely sectoral; uncoordinated and limited scope; inadequate powers under some of the legislation; financial, logistics, infrastructural facilities; Time-lag in disposition of sanctions and cases in law court; ineffective monitoring of implementing agencies. The National food standards do not differ from Codex Standards.

See also International Portal on Food Safety, Animal & Plant Health

Key Legal Documents

Links to Organisations involved in Food Law

Information (listed by date)

2005

• Document: Report of the Sixteenth Session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Africa.
• Source: Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, Codex Alimentarius Commission, Twenty-Eighth Session , Italy , 4 – 9 July 2005.
• Extract: The Delegation informed the Committee that official agencies involved in food control matters in Nigeria included: Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) of Federal Ministry of Industry, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Plant and Animal Quarantine, Strategic Grain Reserve and Fisheries) and Federal Ministry of Commerce (Produce Inspectorate). Laboratory analysis and certification of processed food is carried out by SON and NAFDAC. The Departments of Fisheries and Livestock are involved with fish (seafood) and animals respectively. The Standards Organization of Nigeria is the Codex Contact Point and also the Secretariat of the National Codex Committee chaired by NAFDAC. Various food legislations from different government bodies exist with mandates, some of which have overlapping functions and the Government presently working at streamlining functions. Nigeria has developed bilateral co-operation with Ghana, while discussions are ongoing with other African countries for regional cooperation. There is consumer participation in Codex work in Nigeria. The consumer organizations are members of the National Codex Committee where they make inputs to national positions. Nigeria has a Consumer Protection Council, a federal agency in the Ministry of Commerce. The activities of the Council include sensitization of the consumers about their rights and seeking redness when the need arises.
• Link: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/download/report/632/al28_28e.pdf

• Document: National Food Safety Systems in Africa: A Situation Analysis.
• Source: FAO/WHO Regional Conference on Food Safety for Africa, Harare , Zimbabwe , 3-6 October 2005.
• Abstract: This document point out the legislative provisions in Nigeria, involved in the food control. Also the functions of various government ministries in food control activity, which involves the Federal Ministry of Health, NAFDAC, the Local Government Authority, Standards Organization of Nigeria and Ministry of Agriculture. It also mentions the goals, objectives and targets towards food hygiene and safety. The paper also pointed out the challenges for the National Food Safety Systems in Nigeria and Africa at large. It mentions the role of Standards Organization of Nigeria in Food Safety Systems and the strategies to improve National Food Safety Systems,the roles of the national agency for food and drugs and the food standards and technical regulations.
• Link: ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/meeting/010/af186e.pdf

2003

• Document: Report of the Fifteenth Session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Africa.
• Source: Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, Codex Alimentarius Commission, Twenty-Sixth Session 30 June – 5 July 2003.
• Extract: One of the options adopted to assure food safety/quality in Nigeria is the registration of food. Regulatory Agencies monitor GMP, the labelling declarations and conduct laboratory analysis on products before pronouncing them satisfactory for sale and consumption. Registered food products could also be awarded the quality mark if applied for. The CCP and the NCC Secretariat are located in the Standards Organization of Nigeria. The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration chairs the NCC. The NCC has adequate representation and has been very active. The most recent achievement of the NCC is the Development of its Procedural Manual, a copy of which was submitted to the Codex Secretariat at this meeting. The NCC would appreciate assistance of FAO in a sensitization programme for policy makers and capacity building in laboratory analysis and in training in Risk Analysis to include risk analysis for storage of food crops. In recognition of the role consumers play in food control and related matters, the Federal Government established the “Consumer Protection Agency, located in the Federal Ministry of Commerce. The Agency was represented in the National Codex Committee (NNC), Councils of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) and their Technical Committees. The Consumer Associations that are non-governmental organizations are similarly recognized by the regulatory agencies including the NCC.
• Link: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/download/report/407/Al03_28e.pdf

2002

• Document: The Nigerian Experience on Food Safety Regulations-By R.K. Omotayo and Mrs S.A. Denloye.
• Source: FAO/WHO Global Forum of Food Safety Regulators, Marrakesh, Morocco, 28 - 30 January 2002.
• Link: ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/meeting/004/ab538e.pdf
• Abstract: This paper address challenges facing Nigeria in the food control system. Having realised that the issue of food safety is attracting globally, Nigeria needs to take appropriate and pragmatic steps to ensure food safety and quality for domestic consumption and export. It gives the regulatory and legislative framework of the country regarding food hygiene. It pointed out the main national legislations relating to food safety and the need to revise, update and harmonise existing legislations on food safety, as some of them are outdated and do not accord with current trends and advances in food safety. In Nigeria, the responsibilities for regulating and monitoring food safety standards and practices are done by the Federal Ministry of Health, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) National Codex Committee, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and the States and Local Governments. The activities of each of the institutions are outlined and that the existing food laws, standards and codes are enforced by the individual responsible agencies.

2001

• Document: Report of the Fourteenth Session of the Codex Coordinating Committee for Africa
• Source: Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme,Codex Alimentarius Commission, Twenty-Fourth Session, Geneva, 2 - 7 July 2001.
• Extract: The Delegation of Nigeria recalled that it had reported at the last Session of the Committee that four national food standards were directly derived from Codex Standards. It indicated that no significant changes had occurred in the interim and were unlikely to occur. It informed the Committee that Member States of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) free trade zone decided to adopt Codex Alimentarius Standards as their common food standards. Delegations of Benin, Niger, Senegal, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire reported their adhesion to this decision. The National Codex Committee that had been inactive was reconstituted and re-activated in August 2000, with representation of all identifiable stakeholders. Technical Sub-Committees have been set up for the effective realization of Codex objectives, and plans are being made to strengthen and empower the Codex Contact Point and the National Codex Committee for more effective performance of their respective roles.
• Link: http://www.fao.org/docrep/meeting/005/X9372E/x9372e09.htm#TopOfPage

Information last updated - 14 July 2006