The Federal Government has expressed its commitment to building a pharmaceutical industry that is globally competitive, research-driven, and capable of consistently meeting international quality standards in order to boost access to affordable locally made medicines.
Director General/Chief Executive Officer National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Dr. Obi Adigwe who stated this at the weekend in Abuja during the High-Level Stakeholders’ Meeting to Finalize IMPACT Project Activities with the Pharmaceutical Industry”  with the theme: “Strengthening Local Medicines Manufacturing Capacity: From Concept to Action” noted that the global health landscape has repeatedly demonstrated that countries with strong local manufacturing ecosystems are better positioned to respond to public health emergencies, secure essential medicines for their populations and build resilient health systems.
 
Adigwe observed that that local manufacturing cannot be strengthened through infrastructure alone as sustainable pharmaceutical production requires an integrated ecosystem comprising robust research and development, regulatory excellence, quality management systems, skilled human resources, access to financing, technological innovation and productive partnerships across the public and private sectors. 
The DG who was represented by the Director of Pharmaceutical Technology and Raw Materials Development, Prof Philips Builders emphasized that It is only when these components function together that meaningful industrial transformation becomes possible.  
Adigwe observed that strengthening local pharmaceutical production is now a national development priority, a public health imperative, as well as an important component of our economic security adding that the IMPACT Project has provided a unique opportunity to move beyond dialogue towards implementation.

He explained that the project which was piloted in 2023,was designed to strengthen the capacity of the Nigerian pharmaceutical manufacturers to locally produce safe and quality medicines and pharmaceutical products. 
Adigwe noted that over the years, the project has achieved notable success, stressing that the event represents the beginning of a more ambitious national journey that seeks to transform Nigeria’s pharmaceutical manufacturing landscape from one driven largely by aspiration to one defined by innovation, resilience and sustainable action. 
He said, “Through strategic collaboration between government institutions, development partners, academia, regulators and the pharmaceutical industry, we have collectively developed interventions designed not only to strengthen manufacturing capacity but also to improve research and development, encourage innovation, promote novel biotechnologies and build the human capital required for longterm sustainability”.  

“Strengthening Local Medicines Manufacturing Capacity: From Concept to Action,” speaks directly to one of the most pressing priorities of our nation. NIPRD has continued to position itself as Nigeria’s foremost research institution driving pharmaceutical innovation through science & technology, and strategic partnerships.
“Our mandate extends beyond laboratory research. It encompasses the generation of knowledge that informs policy, the development of technologies that improve healthcare delivery and the creation of an enabling environment where scientific discoveries translate into products and improved health outcomes for our citizens.” 
The NIPRD boss stated that one of the defining achievements of the IMPACT Project has been its investment in human capital development, noting that through targeted capacity-building initiatives, NIPRD has trained over 100 young Nigerian scientists, researchers and pharmaceutical professionals, equipping them with contemporary scientific knowledge and technical competencies required to strengthen our national medicines ecosystem. 

According to him, these interventions represent strategic investments in Nigeria’s future scientific leadership and pharmaceutical self-reliance and beyond capacity strengthening, the institute has continued to champion interventions that directly contribute to national medicine security including supporting safer antimalarial medicines, promoting pharmaceutical innovation, advancing translational research, and facilitating stronger engagement with local manufacturers. 
He observed that every initiative undertaken under the IMPACT Project has been guided by one central objective of ensuring that Nigerians have sustainable access to safe, effective, quality-assured, and locally produced medicines.  
“Today’s meeting therefore occupies a very important place within that broader ecosystem. The recommendations that will emerge from our deliberations are expected to shape future implementation strategies, strengthen collaboration between the government and the industry, as well as provide practical guidance for translating evidence into policy, and policy into measurable outcomes. More importantly, they will ensure that the investments already made through the IMPACT Project continue to generate value long after the close-out.  

“Our ambition extends beyond increasing local production volumes. Through the IMPACT Project, we remain firmly committed to working alongside government, development partners, associates, manufacturers, academia and regulatory agencies to ensure that the progress recorded under the IMPACT Project continues to evolve into sustainable institutional change. As an Institution, will continue to provide contextual leadership, generate evidence for policy formulation, and support innovations that advance Nigeria’s pharmaceutical sector and contribute meaningfully to Africa’s broader health security agenda”, he added.  
Also speaking, the National Coordinator of the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), Abdul Mukhtar said that that the government has launched the Empower Academy, a pharmaceutical manufacturing training platform offering 40 industry-ready courses, with about 3,000 Nigerians and participants from other African countries already enrolled.

Mukhtar said that Nigeria’s recently joined the African Medicines Agency (AMA)  describing it as a game changer which implies that if you produce goods in Nigeria, you can sell across the rest of the African content without having to get regulatory approvals in all the individual countries. 
He observed that government reforms are already delivering measurable gains for local manufacturers adding that least 11 pharmaceutical manufacturing projects were expected to be commissioned this year.
Mukhtar noted  that the presidential fiscal incentives introduced about a year ago, including zero import duty and zero Value Added Tax (VAT) on equipment and raw materials for pharmaceutical production, had been accessed by 47 pharmaceutical companies, with imports worth about ₦26 billion.

He said, “I’m happy to report that this is going very well. About 47 pharmaceutical companies have utilised the incentives to the tune of about ₦26 billion so far. This has actually resulted in increased profitability and revenues for the local pharmaceutical companies,” .
Mukhtar disclosed that four pharmaceutical companies ranked among the Nigerian Exchange’s top 10 performing firms in 2025, attributing the performance to the ongoing reforms.
He however emphasised that it will be better if that increased revenue translates into lower-cost drugs, better drugs and cheaper, accessible medicines for our people. We are working on it.

Mukhtar observed that the government had also established MediPool, a group purchasing organisation designed to aggregate demand, negotiate lower prices and improve medicine distribution nationwide.
He urged pharmaceutical manufacturers to register on the platform, stressing that registration was free.
On his part, the World Bank, Team Lead of the IMPACT Project, Dr Onoriode Ezire, said the bank would continue supporting Nigeria’s pharmaceutical manufacturing agenda through a new programme despite the closeout of the current project.

Ezire recalled that the World Bank had earlier provided funding to help local manufacturers attain World Health Organisation (WHO) prequalification standards before supporting broader interventions through the IMPACT Project.
“We are glad that through this small seed that the Government of Nigeria planted through the IMPACT Project, we are seeing tremendous results,”
He added that the forthcoming Health Industry and Pharmaceutical Systems (HIPS) Project would provide regulatory strengthening, technical assistance and human capacity development to sustain the gains already recorded.

“The market is there. While we are strengthening manufacturing, the leadership of the ministry is also expanding the demand side. Once the demand side opens and manufacturers meet the required standards, the opportunities will be enormous,” he said.
The European Union Health Programme Manager, Dr. Anthony Anyeke, said the EU remained committed to supporting Nigeria’s pharmaceutical manufacturing ambitions through investments in regulatory systems, workforce development, technology transfer and improved market access.
“Strengthening local manufacturing is not only an industrial development priority; it is fundamental to health security, improved access to quality-assured medicines, economic diversification and job creation,” Anyeke said.

He noted that the European Union was implementing its Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Products (MAV+) initiative across six African countries, including Nigeria, to strengthen pharmaceutical manufacturing ecosystems.
Representing the Director-General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Mrs. Uduak Udoso, stated that as a valued member of SON’s National Technical Committee on African Traditional Medicine and an active contributor to the African Organization for Standardization, Technical Committee, NIPRID has played a significant role in developing standards that enhance the quality, safety, and marketability of traditional medicine products across Nigeria and Africa as a continent.
She noted that this enduring collaboration reflects shared commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s quality infrastructure and ensuring that research outputs are translated into products that are safe, effective, marketable and internationally, internationally competitive.

Udoso observed that the mandate of SON is to develop standards,  provide quality assurance through conformity assessment, which are the three pillars, the inspection, the testing, and certification and promote standardization in industry and commerce within the pharmaceutical and traditional medicine sectors. 
According to her, this mandate provides the technical foundation for ensuring that locally manufactured medicines consistently meet established requirements for quality, safety, performance, thereby protecting consumers and building confidence.
She stressed that through the development and implementation of Nigerian Industrial Standards for pharmaceuticals, medicinal plants, medical devices and African Traditional Medicine, SON supports research and innovation, improves manufacturing practices, facilitates regulatory compliance, promotes market access and enhances the competitiveness of Nigerian products in regional and global markets, adding that these efforts are central to the successful implementation of the Presidential Initiative to unlock the healthcare value chain and Nigeria’s broader industrialization agenda.

Udoso noted that the organisation’s partnership with NIPRD had contributed to the development of standards for pharmaceuticals and African Traditional Medicine, helping to improve product quality, safety and market competitiveness.
She said, “As local pharmaceutical manufacturing continues to grow, SON remains committed to working closely with NIPRD, NAFDAC, the Federal Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to strengthen the nation’s quality infrastructure. Together, we can create an enabling environment that fosters innovation, promotes import substitution and expands export opportunities.”