Type Parastatal | Founded 1994 | |
 | ||
Industry Food and drug regulation and supervision Headquarters 46-48 Lumumba Avenue, Kampala, Uganda Key people Samuel Zaramba,
chairman
Donna Kusemererwa,
executive director Products Pharmaceutical licenses, food and drug regulation | ||
The National Food and Drug Authority (NFDA) is a government-owned organisation in Uganda, mandated to regulate food and drugs in the country, including their manufacture, importation, distribution, and licensing.
Contents
Overview
NFDA was created by the Ugandan legislature in 1993. It began operations in 1994 as the National Drug Authority (NDA). At that time, the mission of the NDA was to regulate the manufacture, importation, and use of human and veterinary drugs in the country. In 2014, the Ugandan Cabinet approved plans to expand the NDA into the NFDA by adding food, food additives, food supplements, cosmetics, and commercial animal feeds to the items under the organization's supervision. The relevant laws transforming NDA into NFDA are before the Ugandan Parliament for promulgation.
Location
The headquarters of the NFDA are located at 46-48 Lumumba Avenue, in Kampala Central Division, on Nakasero Hill, in the central business district of Kampala, the capital and largest city of Uganda. The coordinates of the head office are 0°19'36.0"N, 32°34'32.0"E (Latitude:0.326667; Longitude:32.575556).
NFDA maintains regional offices at the following locations:
The agency works in collaboration with the Uganda Ministry of Health, the Uganda Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, and the Uganda Ministry of Industry and Trade.
History
As far back as 2010, elements of the Uganda government recognized the need to regulate food manufacture, importation, labeling, distribution, and marketing to reduce food and water-borne diseases in the country as well as to ensure food safety. Efforts to assign the regulatory function to the then existing NDA began then.
Governance
The agency is governed by a five-person member board, which serves for a four-year renewable term. The current board's term runs from 1 July 2014 until 30 June 2018. Its members include the following individuals:
- Gersom Gunyalli Onyango - chairman
- Grace Tubwita
- Maggie Kigozi
- Stephen Bagonzya Mugumya
- Dickson Longoya Council