The Nigerian Government says it is targeting at least 70 per cent local production of essential healthcare products by 2030 to strengthen medicine security and expand Nigeria’s pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, disclosed this at the opening of the 8th Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers Expo in Lagos.
The expo has the theme, “Regional Manufacturing: Advancing Africa’s Pharma and Life-Science Sovereignty through Localization.”
Represented at the event, Salako said the Presidential Initiative to Unlock Healthcare Value Chains (PVAC) had attracted financing commitments of two billion dollars at single-digit interest rates, with about 50 Nigerian healthcare companies engaged in advanced funding discussions.
He said the initiative was designed to boost domestic production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) and other essential health commodities.
The minister said the Presidential Executive Order on the pharmaceutical and allied sectors had also eliminated tariffs on pharmaceutical machinery, APIs and excipients.
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According to him, the policy has benefited 87 local manufacturers across nearly 1,000 Harmonised System codes.
Salako said Nigeria now had more than 200 local pharmaceutical and life-science companies, up from fewer than 180 in 2021.
He added that finished pharmaceutical imports had fallen from 4.03 billion units to 1.13 billion units by 2025, citing data from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The minister also highlighted progress in vaccine, diagnostic, API and therapeutic food manufacturing, noting that two Nigerian products had secured World Health Organisation (WHO) prequalification.
He described the achievement as the first of its kind in West and Central Africa.
Salako urged pharmaceutical manufacturers to increase investment in research and development, particularly in phytomedicine, noting that Africa accounts for about 25 per cent of the world’s plant genetic resources.
He said the establishment of Medipool, Nigeria’s first national Group Purchasing Organisation for essential medicines and medical commodities, would help provide a more predictable market for local manufacturers.
According to him, Medipool would aggregate procurement needs and improve efficiency across the supply chain.
The minister also called for deeper regional integration through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), urging African countries to move beyond fragmented national markets and develop a regional manufacturing base capable of serving both African and global markets.
He said the strength of Africa’s pharmaceutical sector should be measured by its ability to produce essential medicines and health technologies during disruptions to global supply chains, rather than its capacity to import them when international supplies remain stable.
Salako subsequently declared the 8th Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers Expo open and called for collective efforts to strengthen medicine security, advance health sovereignty and improve health outcomes across Africa.
