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A former President and Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Ahmed Yakasai, is set to chair Nigeria’s new international trade Conference, Pharma West Africa, for medicines, which will hold in Lagos in October.
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Yakasai will head the team developing the Conference alongside the Pharma West Africa Exhibition, running from October 4 to 6 in Lagos.
High-level local and international speakers from the pharmaceutical industry, leading pharmacists and other health professionals will discuss the Conference’s theme of ‘New Frontiers in Pharma, Equitable Healthcare and Business Success’.
It aims to improve the public’s access to better quality medicines by looking at how to solve the challenges facing the local pharmaceutical industry and highlight opportunities to improve medicines security, supply and affordability.
Yakasai said: “Nigeria has the potential to become a leading manufacturer and distributor of essential medicines in Sub-Saharan Africa. About 60 per cent of pharmaceutical production in Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) countries is dominated by Nigeria with less than 50 per cent current capacity utilisation.”
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However, issues facing local medicines availability include infrastructure, supply chain challenges and available technology and training.
Yakasai added: “We rely on other countries for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), machinery and other resources needed for the domestic production of drugs. Nigeria
can balance her dependence on imports to meet its medicines needs by improving manufacturing capacity and increasing research capacity through adequate funding.”
Managing Director, Jamie Hill, is delighted Yakasai has accepted the invitation to chair the inaugural Conference.
“Mr Yakasai brings a wealth of experience and has extensive knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria.
The Conference content will put into context the need for putting patients’ access to medicines first by driving universal health coverage and considering how the industry can meet this challenge,” Hill said.
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