WHO screens NAFDAC for COVID-19 vaccine production

The need to ensure the eradication of the COVID-19 pandemic has driven the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to intensify its research over the mass production of vaccines.

Towards this end, the agency is undergoing a screening by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in order to ensure approval of its vaccine production.

This was disclosed by Prof Moji Adeyeye, the NAFDAC Director General at the stakeholders interactive session organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Safety Standards and Regulations in Abuja on Wednesday.

Adeyeye said that health, safety and environment-based issues were taken seriously by NAFDAC.

“The WHO is carrying out an audit of NAFDAC, which will enable the country to start manufacturing vaccines; the programme started since Monday and will last till Friday,” she said.

At the session, the Ministry of Labour and Employment, urged the lawmakers to speed up actions on the Operational Safety and Health Bill.

The NAFDAC Director, Department of Occupational Safety and Health, Mrs Lauretta Adogu, promised to ensure proper regulation of safety in work places.

“The Bill will seek to make comprehensive provision for operational health and safety in work and other matters.

“It also seeks to establish a National Council for Occupational Safety and Health and will address several important issues and widens the scope of legislation as the new Act will apply to all work places because we enforce operational safety and health in Nigeria,” she said.