The Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare have collaborated to tackle irregularities in the food export system.

The collaboration is also expected to encourage efforts to unlock the healthcare value chain for effective transformation.

Minister Jumoke Oduwole disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja.

Ms Oduwole spoke while receiving health minister Muhammad Pate, who was on a courtesy visit to her office.

Also on the courtesy visit was the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control director-general, Mojisola Adeyeye.

With their management, the two ministries met to address some issues of irregularities in the exportation of food, areas of unlocking healthcare, and other important issues.

Mr Pate said the issues have been lingering between the ministries and needed to be tackled effectively.

He said the issues were important to the two ministries, adding that the effort was to support President Bola Tinubu in his agenda to transform the country.

“This meeting is bringing together two sectors that are ordinarily not closely connected. But there are specific things that have prompted me to reach out, which have to do with the exportation of food and its regulation.

“The second element is the role of the regulatory body, NAFDAC, in constraining or enabling the trade that we have across various borders,” the health minister explained.

Mr Pate added, “The third issue is the regulatory function linked to our efforts to unlock the healthcare value chain.

“These are issues that have been lingering, and I thought we should use this opportunity to come together since we are all on the same team.”

The minister pointed out that the determination was to ensure that Nigeria achieves great results in the areas in the long run.

Ms Oduwole, while responding, said the ministries would start working on unlocking the healthcare value chain.

She said the issues were vital and required effective measures to be tackled.

The NAFDAC boss said Nigerians needed to change their mindsets in exporting goods, adding that those regulatory agencies should regulate effectively.

According to her, the effort will help avoid the embarrassment of rejecting our goods.

(NAN)