Aliyu Angara (left), Registrar and CEO, Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria (IPAN)
The Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria (IPAN) has called for strengthening the nation’s analytical laboratories to curb substandard products in the health, food and industrial sectors.
Speaking at IPAN’s maiden National Summit in Lagos, Registrar and CEO Aliyu Angara highlighted that robust laboratories are critical for public health, trade, and industrial quality assurance.
Angara noted that weak lab systems have led to unsafe food and medicines, undetected contaminants, failed industrial quality checks, lost export opportunities, and public distrust. He cited global examples—South Africa, India, Kenya, and Malaysia—where strong laboratory networks have boosted economic growth and public health.
Minister of State for Health, Dr Iziaq Salako, represented by John Atanda, emphasised that laboratories act as “silent watchdogs” for water, air, food safety, medicine efficacy, and disease surveillance, but gaps in funding, outdated equipment, and weak enforcement limit Nigeria’s potential.
The summit, themed “Strengthening Nigeria’s Analytical Laboratory Sector for Sustainable National Development,” aims to reposition laboratories as strategic national assets to drive innovation, safeguard consumers, and enhance global competitiveness.
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