The Federal Government has inaugurated an Interministerial Committee on the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS) to strengthen the nation’s biosecurity framework, eliminate agricultural export rejections, and expand non-oil foreign exchange earnings.
Announcing the move in Abuja on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning confirmed that the panel brings together key ministries, border agencies, and trade stakeholders under a unified regulatory mandate.
Inaugurated on behalf of the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Deborah O.N. Odoh, the committee addresses a persistent obstacle in Nigeria’s export economy: non-compliance with international Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) standards.
Dr Odoh emphasised that the country can no longer sustain financial losses or reputational harm from overseas export bans.
The committee’s terms of reference include evaluating NAQS’s operational infrastructure, assessing laboratory requirements, establishing sustainable funding models, and eliminating inter-agency bottlenecks at ports and land borders.
Comptroller-General and Chief Executive Officer of NAQS, Dr Vincent Isegbe, highlighted that the agency serves as Nigeria’s primary defence against pest and disease transmission across plant, animal, and aquatic value chains.
Isegbe noted that stronger inter-agency coordination among trade, finance, customs, and civil aviation authorities will streamline pre-shipment inspections and certification processes.
The interministerial committee comprises officials from the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, Nigerian National Accreditation System, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and freight forwarding associations.
Source: Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning
