‘ LCCI, SMES seek better regulatory environment for efficiency’

THE Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry ( LCCI) and its member companies have tasked regulators on the removal of bureaucratic bottlenecks limiting the efficiency and operations of businesses in the country. Presenting the outcome of a survey titled, ‘ Transactional Accountability, Process Consistency and Operational Transparency- A Report on NAFDAC,’ small businesses urged the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control ( NAFDAC) and other regulators to remove bottlenecks that increase the cost of doing business in the country.

The report, which was carried out by the LCCI with the support of the Centre for International Private Enterprise ( CIPE) showed that though satisfied with the services rendered by NAFDAC, surveyed businesses operating in Lagos, Kano and Aba, want improved service delivery with red tapes removed.

The findings of the survey, which was presented by the Co- founder and Executive Director of The Convention on Business Integrity ( CBI), Soji Apampa, also showed that 60 per cent of the respondents claimed that the impact of transactional corruption on the percentage increase in their cost of doing business is between five per cent and 10 per cent.

The activities of the NAFDAC that were surveyed were laboratory analysis, product investigations, registration of products and obtaining permits.

The survey also showed that some respondents declined to make informal and un- receipted payments while others did.

The survey stated that 64.2 per cent of the respondent who indulged in informal payments did so to say ‘ thank you’ and get their matter dealt with in a fast track manner.

“A smaller number did it to reduce liability having flouted the provisions of NAFDAC. Some already indicted paid to remove sanction while 7.8 per cent paid to get the ‘ correct’ interpretation of the regulations and the laws,” Apampa said.

“In terms of satisfaction, 67 per cent of respondents claimed that they were satisfied with services rendered by NAFDAC, which is not a bad position for any regulatory agency in Nigeria.

“If you go by the National Bureau of Statistics ( NBS) and the United Nations’ ODC survey on major government agencies in Nigeria, which is done every two years, you will find that the levels of dissatisfaction are very acute with some specific MDAS in the country. So, the NAFDAC is one of the better performing MDAS in the country”, he added.