Federal government has hinted of a plan to ban the importation of medical syringes to encourage local production and to grow the nation’s economy.
The minister of state for health, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed this during a visit to the multi-billion naira Afrimedical Manufacturing and Supplies Limited Syringe Factory within Karameh Industrial City, Arepo, Ogun State.
Alausa reaffirmed the determination of the federal government to support the manufacturing sector to enhance its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Alausa said that the restructuring of syringe and needle production in Nigeria aims to guarantee the availability of high-quality products manufactured by Nigerians in the market to generate lucrative employment opportunities for Nigerians.
The minister, however, implored the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to ensure that unbridled importation of Syringe does not hamper the development of the local industry through unhealthy competition. “Don’t give them any more authorisation to import. We need to protect the local industry through the backward integration model aimed at enhancing the local capacity,’’ he said.
The minister charged the NAFDAC DG to engage all the relevant agencies to achieve the desired government policy thrust as he reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to remove barriers impeding industrialisation and manufacturing in Nigeria.
The DG of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, said the agency had put an end to granting import authorisation to importers including the international partners. According to her, the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) has also been directed to patronise the local manufacturers of syringes to provide employment opportunities to Nigerians through the expansion of operations of the Nigeria manufacturing companies.
Adeyeye added that the National Primary Health Agency was given the last import order in December 2023 with the instruction that they should begin to source from the local manufacturers thereafter, while explaining that, “NAFDAC has halted syringe imports to promote locally made syringes. This suspension applies even to syringes previously imported by NAFDAC’s international partners. The goal is to shift the focus towards supporting domestic syringe manufacturing.
