The Federal Government has set a target of achieving at least 70 per cent local production of essential healthcare products by 2030 as part of efforts to strengthen medicine security and reduce dependence on imports.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, disclosed this on Monday at the opening of the 8th Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers Expo organised by the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria in Lagos.
Salako said the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and changes in global healthcare financing had exposed the need for Nigeria and other African countries to develop stronger domestic capacity to produce medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and other critical health technologies.
He said, “Our conversation can no longer be limited to whether we can access medicines when global supply chains are functioning. The more fundamental question is whether we can produce what our people need when those supply chains are disrupted.
“Medicine security is therefore not simply a health-sector objective; it is an issue of national resilience and sovereignty.”
According to him, the Federal Government, under President Bola Tinubu, has introduced measures including the Presidential Initiative to Unlock the Healthcare Value Chain and the Presidential Executive Order for Pharmaceutical and Allied Sectors to revive local manufacturing and strengthen the healthcare value chain.
Salako said the healthcare value-chain initiative had attracted commitments of about $2bn at single-digit interest rates, with about 50 Nigerian health firms currently in advanced funding discussions.
He added that 87 local manufacturers were benefiting from the implementation of the Presidential Executive Order, which provides zero tariffs on pharmaceutical machinery, active pharmaceutical ingredients and excipients across almost 1,000 Harmonised System codes.
The minister said the government was also working to expand local production of active pharmaceutical ingredients, vaccines, biologics, diagnostics and other essential health commodities.
He listed the operationalisation of the NIPRD API Capacity Building and Concept Production Centre, development of commercial API manufacturing capacity and efforts to localise the production of HIV, Hepatitis and Syphilis diagnostic products among the ongoing initiatives.
Salako called for increased investment in research and development, particularly in the use of Nigeria’s phytomedicinal resources.
He warned that local manufacturing should go beyond importing active ingredients and packaging materials for final assembly in Nigeria.
“Localization must not mean simply importing the active ingredients, packaging materials and technologies and assembling the final product here. We must progressively build capacity across the entire value chain—from research and raw materials to formulation, quality assurance, manufacturing, packaging and distribution,” he said.
The minister also said the establishment of Medipool, Nigeria’s national Group Purchasing Organisation for essential medicines and medical commodities, would help create predictable and large-scale demand for local manufacturers.
He said Medipool would aggregate procurement, negotiate bulk purchases and improve supply-chain efficiency.
Salako urged pharmaceutical manufacturers, researchers, investors and development partners to invest in regional manufacturing and take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area to expand markets and improve competitiveness.
He said Nigeria’s pharmaceutical transformation would require sustained investment, innovation, regulatory alignment and market integration.
“We must move from dependency to capability, from fragmented markets to regional scale, and from localization to genuine African pharmaceutical sovereignty,” Salako said.
He expressed confidence that sustained collaboration among stakeholders would strengthen Nigeria’s pharmaceutical manufacturing ecosystem and improve medicine security across the country and Africa.