NAFDAC to monitor COVID-19 vaccines, assures of safety, efficacy

*Holds staff recognition Awards, celebrates over 132 employees nationwide for hardwork, dedication

The Director-General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof Christianah Adeyeye said the agency has concluded plans to trace and track the COVID-19 vaccines once it is available in the country.
According to her, the move was to ensure that the products consumed by citizens are safe and of standard.

Adeyeye, at the NAFDAC’s 2019/2020 Staff Recognition Awards and Sent Forth for Retirees held virtually nationwide disclosed that the country was the second in Africa to adopt traceability on track and trace on the supply chain.

The pharmacists’ explained that NAFDAC is leading on the continent in ensuring that the COVID- 19 vaccines can be tracked and traced to the patients and also in monitoring their adverse reactions.

She said: I am very proud of all of our staff. NAFDAC is committed to safeguarding the lives of our people and without our staff we cannot do it. We are the leading regulator in Africa driven by international standards and best practices. In the last three years, digitalisation of regulatory activities, including the deployment of an electronic platform for online registration and decentralization of registration processes was established.”

The Director-General disclosed that three years ago, they started quality management system that n focuses more on the customers, the image of the organisation in order to ensure that they are standard operating procedure-driven organisation.

“This led us to achieve ISO 9001 in 2019 June. We moved on to the global benchmarking where we adopted internationally best practices and we are still adopting international best practices. With regards to the establishment of the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) global benchmarking and adoption of international best practices, we want to get to maturity level three so that Nigeria can manufacture her own vaccines, and we are all working on this every day,” she said.

Adeyeye stated that achieving the ISO 9001 in June 2019, the world’s most recognised Quality Management System (QMS) standard places the country in good standing to strive to get to maturity level three, which enables the country to manufacture its own vaccines

The NAFDAC boss further noted that the agency was upgrading the agency’s laboratories to international standards using equipment that are compliant to ISO 17025, adding that the laboratories are changing very rapidly with improvements in new equipment and supplies.

“We have also gotten a new lab – the Yaba Biology and Vaccines Lab accredited for the first time. And our two other labs will be accredited very soon,” she added.

Meanwhile, Adeyeye explained that NAFDAC’s Staff Recognition Award Ceremony for 2019/2020, was aimed at recognizing serving and retired staff for excellence and dedication.

The agency gave awards to over 132 staff and retires across the federation. Also, a Deputy Director, at NAFDAC, Mrs Christiana Obiazikwor who received double award said that she was humbled because when you are appreciated it goes a long way to encourage you to do more work.

Obiazikwor said: “This recognition is a challenge for me to do more and safeguard the health of the nation. I encourage other staff to work hard every time and also do the work with passion because hard work pays.”