The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is the agency responsible for the control and regulation of consumable products in the country. Some of the products they regulate include: food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices and packaged water including all drinks, animal feed and veterinary products, etc.
Registration Procedure
(Note that NAFDAC has now set up an online registration portal at http://registration.nafdac.gov.ng/)
It is important to note that registration requirement for locally manufactured goods are slightly different form that of imported goods.
It is also noteworthy that if your company produces different products you will need to register each of them separately.
- Approach the closest zonal office of NAFDAC to get your factory inspected. You would be required to submit three samples of your product for analysis after which a certificate of recognition as a manufacturer would be issued to you.
- Purchase a registration form from NAFDAC for each of the products and fill appropriately.
- Write an application to the agency stating your intention to register a product. The application should give details of the product name (general name), brand name, and the name of the manufacturer. Address your application to:
The Director
Registration and Regulatory Affairs
NAFDAC
Central Laboratory Complex
Oshodi, Lagos.
- Submit the application together with your completed registration form and attach the required documents.
Depending on whether or not one follows the right information and submits the required documents, the whole process should take you about three months.
After a successful registration you will be offered a certificate of registration and NAFDAC registration number for the product.
Requirements for NAFDAC registration.
So many products are regulated by NAFDAC in Nigeria. Although the NAFDAC website lists about 7 categories of items, the requirement for each product is categorized into two broad groups:
- Food and
- Drugs
This means that the documents you would need for each category will be slightly different. The registration requirement also depends on if the product is imported or manufactured locally in Nigeria
Irrespective of the product you are registering, NAFDAC would only give you a registration number/certificate after your product has passed the quality and standard test carried out by the agency.
REQUIREMENT FOR FOOD PRODUCTS
- Certificate of incorporation issued by the corporate affairs commission (CAC)
- The certificate of inspection/recognition issued by NAFDAC.
- Comprehensive Certificate of analysis of the batch of product submitted for registration from the manufacturer stating name and signature of the analyst.
- Trade mark approval for your brand name by Federal Ministry of Commerce (where applicable).
- Application form forwarded to the Director stating the name of manufacturer, brand name, and product or products (as the case may be).
REQUIREMENT FOR DRUGS
- Certificate of incorporation issued by the corporate affairs commission (CAC)
- A signed and endorsed certificate of Pharmaceutical Product.
- Three samples of your product for quality analysis and inspection.
- Original copy of the Power of Attorney from the product manufacturer (if imported).
- Completed NAFDAC application form.
- Application letter for registration of the product.
- Letter of invitation from manufacturer to inspect factory abroad, full names and site of plant.
The requirements for registration of imported food or drug products include all those stated above. Other terms and conditions that you would need to meet for a successful registration of imported products include:
- An applicant for a manufacturer outside Nigeria must file an evidence of Power of Attorney from the manufacturer.
- You must provide evidence that the manufacturer of the imported food or drug product are licensed to sell such product in the country of origin and that the sale of the product does not constitute a contravention of the food laws of that country of origin.
- Permit to import samples.
- A letter of Invitation to inspect the factory abroad.
- The applicant must be based in Nigeria who must have a duly signed Power of Attorney from the manufacturer authorizing the Nigerian representative to act in their capacity in Nigeria and with the name of the product explicitly stated.
For more information about the NAFDAC registration procedure visit : www.nafdac.gov.ng/our-services/product-registrationevaluation/. For further information on requirements and NAFDAC state offices visit the website at: www.nafdac.gov.ng. Alternatively you could send an email to the agency at: nafdac@nafdac.gov.ng
