Stakeholders have raised concerns over Nigeria’s healthcare vulnerability arising from the country’s heavy dependence on imported medicines.

They said Nigeria possesses abundant natural and human resources capable of driving a globally competitive pharmaceutical industry, but lamented that such resources remain underutilised, warning that continued reliance on foreign drugs threatens national health security.

The concerns were raised at the 29th Annual National Conference of the Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria in Ilorin, Kwara State, where leading global biopharmaceutical executive, Henrietta Ukwu, described Nigeria’s estimated 70 per cent dependence on imported medicines as worrisome and unfortunate.

Delivering a keynote lecture titled “Nigeria’s Pharmaceutical Industry as a Pillar of National Health, Wealth, and Security,” Ukwu urged the Federal Government under Bola Ahmed Tinubu to deepen support for local pharmaceutical manufacturing as a pathway to health security, economic growth and industrial independence.

Her presentation aligned with the conference theme, “Collaboration and Innovation to Build Local Solutions for the Future of the Nigerian Pharmaceutical Industry,” and attracted pharmaceutical leaders, policymakers, researchers and industry stakeholders from across the country.

Ukwu argued that Nigeria could not continue relying on foreign nations for medicines, vaccines and essential medical products if it intended to achieve healthcare sovereignty and sustainable development.

According to her, local manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, vaccines and medical devices remained critical to ensuring medicine security and national prosperity, stressing that those countries dependent on imported healthcare products risk falling behind in healthcare delivery and economic competitiveness.

She identified drug importation as one of the industry’s biggest challenges, maintaining that increased investment and stronger regulatory support would encourage local pharmaceutical production and improve investor confidence.

According to Ukwu, investors would be more willing to support the sector once local manufacturers consistently meet international standards, thereby increasing pharmaceutical output within Nigeria.

Despite concerns over Nigeria’s dependence on imported drugs, Ukwu commended President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain, which aims to increase local pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity to 70 per cent by 2030.

She said the initiative could position Nigeria as Africa’s leading pharmaceutical manufacturing and export hub if properly implemented.

However, Ukwu stressed that achieving pharmaceutical independence would require more than “fill-and-finish” manufacturing models, advocating instead for partnership-driven investments in the local production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), advanced formulations and sustainable industrial ecosystems.

To demonstrate the growing momentum within the industry, she praised collaborative efforts involving the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development and industry stakeholders aimed at bridging the gap between academic research and commercial pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Despite the growing policy momentum, Ukwu warned that critical structural barriers still threatened the success of local manufacturing efforts. She identified limited access to affordable financing, high energy costs, unreliable power supply, weak industrial infrastructure and inadequate access to quality solvents and intermediates as major obstacles facing pharmaceutical manufacturers.

According to her, only about 10 per cent of local pharmaceutical companies currently have access to affordable long-term capital needed for large-scale API manufacturing investments.

To address the challenge, she urged the government to mobilise funding support through institutions such as the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority and the European Investment Bank.

She concluded by calling for targeted foreign exchange relief, import duty exemptions on pharmaceutical raw materials and harmonised African regulatory frameworks to expand export opportunities for Nigerian-made pharmaceutical products.

Backing her position, National Chairman of the Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria, Bankole Ezebuilo, warned that no nation could sustainably outsource its healthcare security.

Ezebuilo said the pharmaceutical industry must move beyond fragmented efforts and embrace an integrated ecosystem driven by collaboration, innovation and local solutions.

He cautioned that continued dependence on imported medicines posed long-term dangers to the country, arguing that any nation unable to produce its own medicines was effectively negotiating with its health security.

The NAIP chairman also urged the Federal Government to establish stronger enabling policies while calling on academic institutions to align research with industrial realities and practical pharmaceutical needs.

Similarly, Chairman of the Conference Planning Committee, Theophilus Emeka, appealed for greater unity and collective action among stakeholders to build a resilient pharmaceutical future for Nigeria.