The African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank) has launched the first in its series of African Quality Assurance Centres (AQAC) being set up in Nigeria, to ensure the production and export of quality agro-produce from the country.
President and chairman, Board of Trustees of Afreximbank, Prof. Benedict Oramah, speaking at the inauguration of the AQAC yesterday in Sagamu, Ogun state, Nigeria, also reiterated the bank’s commitment to saving Africa $700 million losses in agro-export rejections.
The annual reports issued by the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed, revealed that the number of product recalls from European countries and border rejections affecting African exports, grew rapidly between 2000 and 2021, an increase from 57 cases to 338 cases annually, with only 24 African countries eligible for food imports to the US and only 15 African countries eligible for vegetable exports.
The inauguration of the AQAC in Ogun state, Nigeria, the first in its series in Nigeria, valued at $10.8 million will ensure the production and export of quality agro-produce from the country, is set up to address the trend.
The AQAC laboratory is an initiative of Afreximbank to ensure that “made in Africa” products meet the required health and safety standards, Oramah said, even as he disclosed that the Afreximbank is working with a lot of organisations to create the framework for harmonisation of standards across the continent.
“Due to poor quality over $700 million worth of agro-produce are rejected from Europe alone. About 76 per cent of exports from Africa are rejected annually. We are working with a lot of organisations to create the framework for harmonisation of standards across the continent.
“We are budgeting about $100 million for the development of this plan of setting up African Quality Assurance Centres across the country.
We are pleased to commission the first in a series of African Quality Assurance Centres,” he stated.
The Afreximbank president however lauded the Ogun state government for their support in making the AQAC a reality. “There is no country that aspires to become an export success without solid, quality infrastructure. There is no country that can expect to participate effectively in the Agricultural Free Trade Agreements without sound quality infrastructure.
We want to thank the government of Ogun state under the leadership of Gov. Adedapo Abiodun for making this giant stride possible,” he added.
In his keynote address, the president, federal republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari said the establishment of the AQAC, which is a validating standard for goods produced in Nigeria is critical to improving market access, acceptability and export capacity of the country.
In light of the foreign exchange challenges faced by the country, Buhari said boosting export is the strategy that has been designed by the federal government to bridge the supply gap and generate earnings in the near future.
Apart from these, Buhari, who was represented by the minister of the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, said, his responsibility first and foremost, is to protect the lives and wellbeing of Nigerians, adding that this Facility will enhance quality assurance and ensure the quality of what Nigerians consume locally.
He however applauded Afreximbank and Bureau Veritas for setting up this Facility in Ogun state, Nigeria, adding that it will give confidence to producers and manufacturers that whatever raw materials they source locally are of the highest and acceptable standards.
In his welcome address, the Ogun state governor, Adedapo Abiodun, commended the bank for its commitment to the financial and economic growth of the African continent, adding that, “The bank has been very consistent in its multi-sectorial intervention across board.”
Abiodun, said the AQAC is strategically located along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway as it is 65 km from Lagos, the key port city and commercial capital of Nigeria and 75 km from Ibadan, a major commercial and industrial hub of South-West Nigeria, adding that the centre aims to make Nigerian agro-produce acceptable by ensuring the right quality produce are exported from Nigeria, thereby stimulating economic growth.Senior vice president Africa, Bureau Veritas, Mr Marc Roussel, said the center include a number of laboratories and modern instruments which can offer the requisite testing services, including physical and chemical testing, contaminant analysis (such as pesticides and heavy metals), microbiological testing, water analysis, soil analysis, plant analysis and organic substrate analysis.
Roussel said the building will have training rooms to offer training services to transfer know-how and improve technical capacities in the conformity assessment field in Nigeria.v
