The Federal Government has been urged to avail itself of the abundant biodiversity in the country.
The Minister of Science and Technology, Prof Ita Okon, stated this at this year’s Herbal Festival (HerbFest) organised by Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency, (NNMDA) with Bio-Resources Development and Conservation Programme (BDCP).
Its theme was: Herbvest 2011- Investment opportunities for herbal, food and natural products.
According to the Minister, Nigeria’s biodiversity is an important source of medicinal, food and chemical products.
He said: “It holds great potential to transform the nation’s agricultural and industrial systems and contribute not only to health care improvement, but also provide investment opportunities to assist poverty reduction, wealth creation and contribute to national socio-economic growth and development.
“The unique species of plants and animals as well as other ecosystems contribute to the nation’s natural wealth. However, this diversity is underutilised, unsustainably utilised and is being lost at an alarming rate.”
The Minister, represented by the Director-General, Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, (FIIRO), Lagos, Mrs Gloria Elemo, further said for the nation’s bio-business to thrive and be sustained, her bio-diversity development needs to be properly identified, made readily available and backed with specific evidence-based information and technological infrastructure to enable their cultivation and conservation.
He further said: “The timeliness of this workshop cannot be over-emphasied as herbal products have become a source of job and wealth creation with an estimated global trade worth of over USD 100 billion. Given the important contribution that trade makes to economic growth and poverty reduction, we must strive to develop Africa’s bio-resources and diversity to encourage value added export focused on development of her abundant natural resources.
“The African continent has suffered great economic losses from unauthorised and non-value added exploitation of her bio-resources and biodiversity, as well as the inability of her people to properly utilise science, technology and innovation to convert and harness these resources to standardise commercialisable products and services that attract international acceptance as China, India, and the two Koreas among others have done.”
Similarly, the Director-General, Raw Materials Research and Development Council ((RMRDC), Abuja, Prof Azikiwe P. Onwualu, said there are some challenges that must be overcome before the nation’s herbal products can be globally acceptable. “These are unfair competition with imported herbal drugs, inadequate information on the medicinal plants and their uses, issues of certainty of efficacy, safety and quality, lack of easy access to finance for drug development.
“Others are intellectual property issues and difficulties in getting information out of the practitioners, lack of technical knowledge and relevant equipment in drug manufacture (extraction, formulation clinical trials and packaging), mixing of herbal practice with traditional religion and incantations, poor access to Technology for extraction of active ingredients from herbs, lack of education on the part of the practitioners making some of their operations to be unhygienic and not acceptable to some elites, poor mainstreaming of traditional medicine into national health care system and long development cycle of bio-ventures making the business of herbal drug development unattractive to the average entrepreneur,” he added.
The National Co-ordinator, Bio-Resources Development and Conservation Programme (BDCP), Prof Elijah Sokomba, expressed optimism that the event added value to participants in many ways. “Having one-on-one communication with industry leaders and policy makers, finding new investment opportunities in herbal and natural products, understanding intellectual property rights and access and benefits sharing, discovering incentives for developing natural products business, learning about regional and international regulations for herbal and natural products, exhibiting herbal and natural products ready for local and export markets, identify various sources or raw materials and market outlets and meet investors, buyers, future partners and manufacturers,” he said.
The event was graced by Director-General, NNMDA, Tamuno Okujagu; Olajuwon Okubena of Health Forever Limited; Mrs Bolanle Alabede of Pax Herbals; Mrs Sumbo Ayodele of Quincy Herbal Slimers among others.
From http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/index.php/health/24204-%E2%80%98how-nigeria-can-benefit-from-biodiversity%E2%80%99.html

By Emmanuel Oladesu, The Nation, 27/10/2011

The Management team of the Institute of Administrators and Researchers of Nigeria (IARN) led by Prof J.E Etinagbedia made a courtesy visit to the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO) on Wednesday, 13^th June, 2012.

The visit was to look for an avenue to collaborate with FIIRO in terms of providing professional training services for researchers. It is also meant to facilitate collaboration in the area of organizing “Training of Trainers” Workshops on effective Food Administration, Quality Control and Industrial Safety issues.

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Dr. Gloria Elemo A Quintessenatial Public Servant
Monday, 27 February 2012

Dr. (Mrs.) Gloria Nwakaego Elemo is now the new Director General of the Federal Institute for Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO). Dr. Elemo rose to this enviable position while serving as Director, Food and Analytical Services Division, FIIRO, an office she has occupied since 2007, after her transfer from the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC)

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