With over 1,200 registered public analysts, the Society of Testing Laboratory Analysts of Nigeria, SoTLAN, has raised the alarm over acute shortage of analytical laboratories in the country.
Analytical laboratories are facilities that offer laboratory analysis and other related functions on food, drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, water, chemicals and other products as well as issue certificate of fitness or otherwise on the products for the purpose of human use.
Speaking in Lagos ahead of the SoTLAN annual conference themed: “Building Capacity for Global Competitiveness of Testing Laboratories”, President of the Society, Prof Olugbenga Ogunmoyela said Nigeria has less than 50 analytical laboratories in the food, pharma, environment and petroleum sector, serving over 200 million people.
Ogunmoyela also stated that although the country has few specialised and excellent local analytical laboratories, many of them lack capacity and are struggling in the face of infrastructural challenges, constantly rising costs of imported equipment and reagents that have made it difficult to undertake effective planning and competitiveness.
In a charge to the Federal government, to address the shortage and raise the capacity of analysts in the country, he pledged that the society was determined to address headlong the debilitating challenges that have continued to hold the country back on various local and international fronts in terms of quality Assurance traceable to analytical laboratories.
“The fact that Nigeria and other African countries suffer product rejection and humiliation in the international/ world market is traceable to this singular factor. The quantum of money the nation loses annually to product rejects and capital flight by those organisations and individuals that outsource their product analysis outside the country runs into billions of dollars annually.
“Added to this is the unsavoury saga of importation of adulterated petroleum products into the country, as recently witnessed.
“All these contribute to the unnecessary and preventable loss of income to the country. An immediate solution is for the federal government to dialogue with the society on how to build the capacity of the local laboratories and personnel in line with the best global practices. This is a cheaper faster, easier and all-encompassing solution for the government to embrace. “
He said Nigeria can no longer afford to have its analytical laboratories ill-equipped in the face of the prevailing global and regional competitions, especially with the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, AFCFTA, in which Nigeria is a principal player.
The SoTLAN president explained that the conference billed to hold 14th of June, 2022 will focus on the increased use of foreign laboratories for analysis of various foods, pharma, medical devices, petroleum, products as well as environmental analysis samples due to perceived lack of capacity of local laboratories,
Expressing concerns, he said for a nation that is in dire need to save its foreign exchange resources, there was a need to look inwards, hence, the need for government, and all stakeholders to empower local analytical laboratories by supporting capacity development initiative if the country is to make maximum benefit of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.
“With fewer than 50 laboratories that have achieved international accreditation, compared to over 500 accredited such laboratories in South Africa, Nigeria cannot effectively maximise the opportunity in the sector, “in the certification of quality of our products as well as imports for the growth of our economy.”
Reeling out activities during the conference, he said over 20 companies will participate in the laboratory fair and exhibition, and there will also be school debates featuring students from various universities, while the Country Director of Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition in Nigeria, Dr Michael Ojo, will give the keynote address.
“Also, the immediate past president of SoTLAN, Dr Femi Oyediran will speak on the capacity and infrastructural challenges of local testing laboratories in Nigeria, while there will be a panel discussion session on “Business development imperatives for the competitiveness and survival of local analytical laboratories.”
He called on industry captains, laboratory owners, employees, commodity importers and exporters, and regulatory agencies, among others to partner with the society.