In a bid to curb the influx of fake medicines, the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has appointed Cotecna Inspection Services as a Clean Report of Inspection and Analysis (CRIA) agent in India.
This is part of an ongoing initiative to block the entry of substandard and falsified (SF) medicines and regulated items originating from India and China. The appointment comes after the agency recently seized and destroyed counterfeit and expired drugs valued at over N1 trillion from major drug markets in Idumota, Onitsha, and Aba.
NAFDAC Director-General Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye explained that the move is aimed at enhancing the agency’s pre-shipment checks and regulatory control in top exporting nations.
In a statement from the agency’s spokesperson, Sayo Akintola, the DG emphasized the importance of the CRIA scheme as a tool in the fight against substandard goods, noting that “the trade in falsified medicines is a global menace that disproportionately affects low-and middle-income countries, including Nigeria.”
She explained at a hybrid technical session in Lagos that the CRIA programme has been actively used in both China and India to assess goods before export. A review of CRIA agents led to the termination of one contract, extension of two, and the addition of two new agents in India — among them, Cotecna.
“Cotecna joins a lineup of CRIA agents mandated to inspect product quality, packaging, and labelling; conduct random testing; verify regulatory documents; and report non-compliance or attempts to bypass the process.”
According to her, “Laboratories in both India and China are designated for product testing under the CRIA scheme, and only goods that pass inspection are cleared for shipment to Nigeria.”
She also introduced a new electronic system, the Ports Inspection Data Capture and Risk Management System (PIDCARMS), to streamline documentation verification, process inspection results, and boost transparency at the ports.
Prof. Adeyeye cautioned against re-exporting rejected shipments into Nigeria, announcing a planned partnership with the Indian Government to trace and stop such consignments.
“We want to know what happens to the medicines rejected in India,” she said, stressing that “NAFDAC will not allow such products to find their way back into our country.”
She urged all exporters handling NAFDAC-regulated goods to use CRIA-certified agents before shipping, noting that only exempted items would bypass the scheme.
Lena Sodergren, Vice President of Verification of Conformity and Africa at Cotecna, affirmed the firm’s dedication to ensuring high standards and supporting safe international trade.
