Nigeria, Development Partners Push Sustainable Growth ln Pharmaceutical Industry

The federal government, in collaboration with development partners and other key stakeholders, has reaffirmed its commitment to building a sustainable pharmaceutical industry.

It said stronger local medicines manufacturing is essential to improving health security, expanding access to quality medicines and driving economic growth.

The commitment was made at a High-Level Stakeholders’ Meeting to finalise activities under the IMPACT Project, themed “Strengthening Local Medicines Manufacturing Capacity: From Concept to Action” organised by the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD).

At the meeting, the director-general of NIPRD, Dr Obi Adigwe, represented by the director of Research and head of Pharmaceutical Technology and Raw Materials Development, Prof. Philip Builders, said the IMPACT Project had gone beyond dialogue to practical interventions aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity.

He said the project, piloted in 2023, had supported local manufacturers through strategic collaboration among government institutions, regulators, academia, development partners and the private sector to promote research, innovation, biotechnology and workforce development.

Adigwe said strengthening local pharmaceutical manufacturing has become a national development priority, noting that countries with strong domestic manufacturing capacity are better positioned to respond to public health emergencies and guarantee access to essential medicines.

He disclosed that more than 100 young Nigerian scientists, researchers and pharmaceutical professionals had been trained under the IMPACT Project, describing the initiative as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s future scientific leadership and pharmaceutical self-reliance.

According to him, sustainable pharmaceutical production requires more than manufacturing plants, stressing the need for strong research and development, quality management systems, effective regulation, skilled manpower, access to financing, technological innovation and stronger public-private partnerships.

“The recommendations from today’s meeting will shape future implementation strategies, strengthen collaboration between government and industry, and ensure that investments made through the IMPACT Project continue to generate value long after the project closes,” he said.

The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Muyi Aina, said reforms being implemented in the health sector present significant opportunities for local pharmaceutical manufacturers.

He noted that primary healthcare agencies serve as the bridge between locally manufactured medical commodities and Nigerians, adding that collaboration with manufacturers is critical to improving access to quality medicines and healthcare products.

National Coordinator of the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), Dr. Abdu Mukhtar, urged Nigerian pharmaceutical manufacturers to expand beyond the domestic market and take advantage of opportunities across Africa.

He noted that four pharmaceutical companies ranked among the top 10 performing firms on the Nigerian Exchange in 2025, describing it as evidence of the sector’s growing potential.

Mukhtar also announced that at least 11 pharmaceutical manufacturing projects are expected to be commissioned this year, including facilities for producing antibiotics, rapid diagnostic test kits and family planning commodities.

He added that Nigeria’s recent accession to the African Medicines Agency would make it easier for locally manufactured medicines to access markets across the continent.