Why we adopted automated system at ports – NAFDAC
The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it has simplified clearance of goods at the nation’s ports to facilitate trade, check corruption and comply with the federal government’s reforms at the nation’s ports.
In the past, importers and clearing agents were made to move around its offices to process clearance of goods at the ports but it has now fast-tracked the implementation of electronic processing of clearance of goods.
The agency in a statement signed by the Director, Public Affairs, Dr Jimoh Abubakar, said a fully automated system was deployed in 2017 with an identified group of low risk importers and clearing agents who used the system for the clearance of their goods at the ports.
The statement said the agency’s Director General, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, had ordered that all processes within
NAFDAC should move from the previous manual processing to online system in line with the federal government’s desire to improve the ease of doing businesses in Nigeria.
“The machinery was therefore put in place to deploy a fully automated and computerized system for goods clearance at the ports. This enables importers to clear their consignments without visiting the offices of NAFDAC except when invited for meetings. In response to the Covid19 pandemic and the need to enforce social distancing, NAFDAC reduced the online clearing system to a very simple process of submission and processing of documentation and release,” he said.
“This system has therefore put an end to the previous situation where importers and clearing agents crowded NAFDAC offices requesting for services. Currently, the only place where a client sees a NAFDAC officer is at the point of physical inspection of imported goods at the ports and/ or importer warehouses which for obvious reasons must take place,” he added.
However, the Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON) faulted NAFDAC’s activities in a recent publication in an online platform.
NAFDAC in its reaction, advised members of the public to disregard the publication as it was meant to discredit the agency and her efforts to improve service delivery to its stakeholders.