The Federal Government has set a target of producing at least 70 per cent of essential healthcare products locally by 2030 as part of efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s medicine security and reduce dependence on imports.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, disclosed this on Monday in Lagos while declaring open the 8th Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers Expo (NPME), organised by the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN).
Salako said the target was being pursued through the Presidential Initiative to Unlock Healthcare Value Chains (PVAC), the Presidential Executive Order for Pharmaceutical and Allied Sectors and other measures aimed at transforming Nigeria’s pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.
He said the COVID-19 pandemic and recent changes in global healthcare financing had exposed the vulnerability of countries dependent on external sources for essential medicines and health commodities.
According to him, the experience had shifted the conversation from access to medicines to whether Nigeria and Africa could produce, at scale and competitively, the medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and health technologies needed by their populations.
He said the theme of the expo, “Regional Manufacturing: Advancing Africa’s Pharma and Life-Science Sovereignty through Localisation,” aligned with the Federal Government’s efforts to build a resilient and self-reliant healthcare system.
Salako, however, cautioned that localisation should go beyond importing active pharmaceutical ingredients, packaging materials and technologies and merely assembling finished products locally.
“Localisation cannot simply mean importing active pharmaceutical ingredients, packaging materials and technologies, assembling the final product in Africa. We must progressively build on-ground capacity across the value chain through research and development, innovations, upstream sourcing of APIs, excipients and other raw materials, midstream commercial formulation and manufacturing, quality assurance, packaging, and downstream distribution to end users,” he said.
He said Nigeria must also expand its capacity in biologics, vaccines and other critical health technologies to achieve genuine pharmaceutical sovereignty.
The minister said regional integration was critical to overcoming fragmented national markets, urging manufacturers to take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the continent’s market of more than 1.5 billion people.
He said Nigeria was positioning itself as a regional hub for pharmaceutical and life-science manufacturing, noting that the number of local pharmaceutical and life-science companies had risen to more than 200, from fewer than 180 in 2021.
Salako also cited data from the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) showing that finished pharmaceutical imports had declined from 4.03 billion units to 1.13 billion units by 2025.
He said PVAC had attracted total commitments of $2 billion at single-digit interest rates, with about 50 Nigerian health firms in advanced funding discussions under the initiative.
According to him, PVAC was targeting at least 70 per cent local production of essential healthcare products by 2030, with emphasis on active pharmaceutical ingredients, rapid diagnostic tests and bed nets.
He said the Presidential Executive Order on pharmaceutical and allied sectors had also provided incentives for local manufacturers through zero tariffs on pharmaceutical machinery, APIs and excipients.
“Eighty-seven local manufacturers are directly benefiting from incentives spread across a total of almost 1,000 Harmonised System Codes,” he said.
Salako further disclosed that two Nigerian products had attained World Health Organisation prequalification, describing the achievement as the first of its kind in West and Central Africa.
He said the government was also scaling up local manufacturing of HIV, hepatitis and syphilis diagnostics through partnerships involving Codix, Abbott and Afrimedical, with the objective of reducing dependence on imported diagnostic products.
The minister said progress was also being made in local production of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) as part of efforts to tackle acute malnutrition among children.
On vaccines and other health technologies, Salako said the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), in collaboration with the European Union and other partners, was developing a roadmap to strengthen medicine security.
He said the €18 million Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Technologies (MAV+) project was being implemented to strengthen local capacity in vaccines, biologics, diagnostics and medical devices.
He added that the NIPRD Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) Capacity Building and Concept Production Centre, described as West Africa’s first dedicated API training and development hub, was now fully operational following support from the African Export-Import Bank.
According to him, the centre had helped catalyse the development of the first commercial API production plant in sub-Saharan Africa in Ogun State.
Salako also called for greater investment in pharmaceutical research and development, particularly in exploiting Nigeria’s phytomedicinal resources.
He said Africa was home to about 25 per cent of the world’s plant genetic resources, urging pharmaceutical companies to collaborate with government and research institutions to develop plant-based medicines for local use.
The minister also disclosed that the Federal Executive Council approved the establishment of Medipool in May 2025 as Nigeria’s first national Group Purchasing Organisation for essential medicines and medical commodities.
He said Medipool would aggregate the procurement needs of healthcare facilities, negotiate bulk purchases with manufacturers and suppliers, and coordinate procurement and distribution to reduce costs and improve supply-chain efficiency.
Salako said Nigeria’s pharmaceutical future should be measured by its ability to produce essential health commodities during global supply disruptions rather than by its capacity to import medicines when international supply chains were functioning.
“Our health as a country and as a continent will not be secured only in hospitals and laboratories. It will also be secured in our factories, universities, research centres, supply chains and investment decisions,” he said.
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