FG, experts chart path for Strengthening Local Medicines Manufacturing Capacity in Nigeria
By Ojoma Akor
The federal government and experts have said that strategic measures are critical for strengthening local medicines manufacturing capacity and ensuring medicine security in Nigeria.
They stated this during a high-level stakeholders’ meeting organized by the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) in collaboration with other partners to finalize NMEP-World Bank-Funded IMPACT Project Activities with the theme “Strengthening Local Medicine Manufacturing Capacity: From Concept to Action.”
Director General of NIPRD, Dr Obi Adigwe, said that sustainable pharmaceutical production requires an integrated ecosystem comprising robust research and development, regulatory excellence, quality management systems, skilled human resources, access to financing, technological innovation and productive partnerships across the public and private sectors.
He said it is only when these components function together that meaningful industrial transformation becomes possible.
Represented by the institute’s Director of Research and Head of Pharmaceutical Technology and Raw Materials Development, Prof. Philip Builders, he also said local manufacturing cannot be strengthened through infrastructure alone.
He said one of the defining achievements of the IMPACT Project has been its investment in human capital development.
He highlighted that over 100 young Nigerian scientists, researchers and pharmaceutical professionals have been trained through the IMPACT Project, equipping them with contemporary scientific knowledge and technical competencies required to strengthen our national medicines ecosystem.
He said, “These interventions represent strategic investments in Nigeria’s future scientific leadership and pharmaceutical self-reliance.”
The NIPRD boss said that the agency has continued to champion interventions that directly contribute to national medicine security.
This, he said, includes supporting safer antimalarial medicines, promoting pharmaceutical innovation, advancing translational research, and facilitating stronger engagement with local manufacturers.
Dr Adigwe further said that every initiative undertaken under the IMPACT Project has been guided by one central objective: ensuring that Nigerians have sustainable access to safe, effective, quality-assured, and locally produced medicines.
He noted that the project has also supported local manufacturers in improving the production of safe, effective, and quality-assured medicines.
“Through the IMPACT Project, we have significantly contributed to building a pharmaceutical industry that is globally competitive, research-driven, and capable of consistently meeting international quality standards,” he added.
Dr Abdul Muktar, National Coordinator of the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, about a year ago, signed an executive order to provide fiscal incentives, zero duty, and zero VAT for pharmaceutical equipment and raw materials to boost local production of essential medicines.
He said that about 47 pharmaceutical companies have utilized this to the tune of about 26 billion naira so far, adding that this has resulted in increased profitability and revenues for local pharmaceutical companies.
He said the federal government will commission at least 11 pharmaceutical manufacturing projects this year.
World Bank Team Lead on the Impact project, Dr. Onoriode Ezire, said an earlier two-million-dollar intervention helped local manufacturers attain World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification.
He said that a subsequent five-million-dollar support addressed broader manufacturing constraints.
The European Union Health Program Manager, Dr. Anthony Anyeke, said the program supported development, technology transfer, and improved market access.
He said, “Strengthening local manufacturing is not only an industrial development priority; it is fundamental to health security, improved access to quality-assured medicines, economic diversification and job creation.”
Representative of the Director-General of the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), Mrs. Uduak Udoso, said that NIPRID has played a significant role in developing standards that enhance the quality, safety, and marketability of traditional medicine products across Nigeria and Africa.