NACCIMA facilitates ETLS through workshop
Sola Fadare, Lagos - updated: Tuesday 01-07-2008
Charles Ugwu,
Min. of Commerce &
IndustryThe one day workshop organized by the
Nigeria Association of Chambers of
Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) was aimed at facilitating unhindered approval of products and companies registration under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) through offering exporters opportunity for better understanding of the process of effective completion of the form.
The president of NACCIMA, Dr. Ignatius Ijegwa Adaji, disclosed this while welcoming participants from all over the federation to the workshop held recently in Lagos.
Adaji, who was represented by NACCIMA Deputy National President, Dr. Herb Ademola Ajayi, observed that the responsibility of the ECOWAS Commission was to approve companies and products registered under the scheme through the ratifications of the applications screened by member countries National Approval Committees (NAC), adding that it was regrettable that some of these ETLS application forms submitted by applicants were approved “hence, denying such companies the enjoyment of free custom duties for goods exported to countries within the ECOWAS sub-region.”
The NACCIMA boss noted that the body would continue to partner with the sister organizations in other countries in ECOWAS sub region in order to implement the successful implementation of the scheme.
Speaking at the occasion, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Alhaji B.K Kaigama the essence of the scheme was to promote intra-community trade in goods originating or produced in members’ states by eliminating duties, quotas, prohibitions or any other restrictions aimed at making goods more competitive relative to those imported from outside ECOWAS member states.
Kaigama, who spoke through Mr. Ogunsayan Adekunle, Deputy Director in the Ministry, added that proper completion of the ETLS form would give room for its approval which, according to him, would lead to the development of the nation’s economy.
The PM therefore called on the stakeholders take the Workshop seriously and advised the enterprises and concerned firms to “look beyond the ECOWAS ETLS, by upgrading their production lines and strategies, as well as other support systems, in order to meet the wider challenges that are imminent for more powerful global initiatives.”
The idea of Trade Liberalization Scheme was first adopted in November 1976 in Lome, Nigeria signed the Protocol in 29th May, 1979 but the scheme took effect in 1988.
The overall objective of ETLS is to significantly expend the volume of intra-community trade in the sub-region via the removal of both tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade on goods originating form ECOWAS communities of 16 member-states.
NAFDAC boss calls for review of drug laws
Muda Oyeniran, Lagos
The Director General
of National Agency
for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Dora Akunyili has reiterated calls for a review of the nation’s drug laws to introduce stiffer penalties for offenders so as to make counterfeiting difficult in Nigeria. Speaking at the launch of a new hologram for the popular anti-malaria drug Halfan by multinational phar-maceutical company, Glaxo-SmithKline (GSK) recently in Lagos, the NAFDAC DG who was represented by the agency’s Director of Registration and Regulatory Affairs, Pharmacist Felix Asemota described those who deal in counterfeit and fake products as murderers who must be exposed and dealt with.
He called on members of the public to assist NAFDAC in the fight against counterfeits by exposing anyone involved in the dubious business.
Disclosing that NAFDAC’s effort over the years had yielded positive results with a sharp reduction in the prevalence of fake and counterfeit products in the country from 80 per cent to 16 per cent last year, Mr. Asemota said the nation must not relent in the raging battle. According to him, the agency had to adopt education and dialogue as part of the strategies for combating the menace of fake and adulterated drugs, adding that the trend must continue for the battle to be totally won.
Also, she said, the introduction of holograms on packages has proved to be another effective means because “if you tamper with it (the hologram) you destroy the package.”“Very soon, there will be a law for every product in the country to have hologram,” Mr. Asemota further disclosed, adding that even NAFDAC had to adopt the use of holograms in its certificates and receipts when it discovered they were being faked.
Commending GSK for introducing the new Halfan hologram, he called on all drug manufacturers and food producers to join hands with the agency in the fight against fake and counterfeit products in the country.
In his presentation, GSK’s Group Product Manager, Tropicals and Project, Mr. Sunday Afonja, described the introduction of the new Halfan hologram as another effort by the company to ensure that it remains ahead of counterfeiters.
The new hologram consists of the GSK logo and two bands of colour which move against a grey ripple background. When the pack is rotated, the GSK logo changes from dark on light background to light on dark background.
Also when the pack is tilted, the word “GlaxoSmithKline” automatically switches to “Authentic.”
