Nigeria's NAFDAC Submits proposal to Parliament Seeking Life Sentences for Convicted Counterfeit

The [Nigerian] National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) recently submitted a Bill to Parliament seeking to amend the current Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act.

Of particular interest in their submission, is the proposal seeking to impose life sentences for counterfeiters of regulated products in Nigeria. To its credit, the Bill also has provisions to protect whistle blowers and compensation or punishment were false information is provided to the Agency.

A recent report by ICC-BASCAP indicated that Nigeria is increasingly becoming a target destination and significant transit route for counterfeit and pirated products. And, while it is not expected that this Bill will enacted into legislation soon (as the passing of Bills typically takes many years in Nigeria), it does give some insight into how serious NAFDAC is on taking on the counterfeit problem in Nigeria.

At Rouse Africa we have noted a consistent campaign by NAFDAC to reduce the amount of counterfeit products in the Nigerian Market this year. A most recent example being the arrest and prosecution of five persons for alleged production, distribution of a counterfeit codeine based cough syrup and popular brand of powdered milk in August 2017. NAFDAC's proposal though extreme may be the ticket to detering unrelenting offenders.

For more information on protecting your intellectual property in Nigeria please contact Rouse Africa.