In a strategic move to combat the growing menace of substandard and falsified medicines, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has appointed Cotecna Inspection Services as a Clean Report of Inspection and Analysis (CRIA) agent in India.
The announcement was made following intensified efforts by the agency to prevent the importation of counterfeit drugs and other regulated products from key exporting countries, particularly India and China. This development comes on the heels of the recent seizure and destruction of over ₦1 trillion worth of expired and substandard medicines from major drug markets in Idumota, Onitsha, and Aba.
NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed this during a hybrid technical meeting in Lagos, emphasising that the agency is committed to strengthening its pre-shipment verification systems. She noted that the CRIA scheme is central to NAFDAC’s strategy in intercepting fake and non-compliant products before they enter the Nigerian market.
“Cotecna joins a lineup of CRIA agents mandated to inspect product quality, packaging, labelling, conduct random testing, verify regulatory documents, and report non-compliance or any attempts to bypass the process,” Adeyeye stated in a press release signed by NAFDAC spokesperson, Sayo Akintola.
The director-general added that laboratories in India and China have been designated for the rigorous testing of products under the CRIA programme, and only those that pass inspection will be cleared for export to Nigeria.
As part of its digital reform, NAFDAC also introduced the Ports Inspection Data Capture and Risk Management System (PIDCARMS), an electronic platform that processes inspection reports and verifies documentation, aimed at boosting transparency and port efficiency.
Adeyeye warned that any attempt to reintroduce rejected consignments into the Nigerian market would be met with strict sanctions, revealing that discussions were ongoing with the Indian Government to monitor rejected products and ensure they do not return through illicit channels.
“We want to know what happens to the medicines rejected in India. NAFDAC will not allow such products to find their way back into our country,” she warned.
She also urged Nigerian exporters to engage only approved CRIA agents prior to shipment, reiterating that all NAFDAC-regulated products—except those on the exemption list—must undergo CRIA screening to ensure public safety.
Speaking on behalf of Cotecna, Vice President of Verification of Conformity and Africa, Lena Sodergren, reaffirmed the company’s dedication to quality assurance and facilitating international trade through strict compliance protocols.
The move marks another significant step by NAFDAC in its ongoing battle against counterfeit drugs, which remain a major public health threat in Nigeria.
