Stakeholders have raised concerns over Nigeria's healthcare vulnerability due to its heavy reliance on imported medicines. They noted that Nigeria possesses abundant natural and human resources capable of driving a globally competitive pharmaceutical industry, but lamented that these resources remain underutilized. They warned that continued dependence on foreign drugs threatens national health security.
Conference Highlights Concerns
The concerns were raised at the 29th Annual National Conference of the Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria (NAIP) in Ilorin, Kwara State. Henrietta Ukwu, a leading global biopharmaceutical executive, described Nigeria's estimated 70 percent 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 President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to deepen support for local pharmaceutical manufacturing as a pathway to health security, economic growth, and industrial independence.
Call for Local Manufacturing
Ukwu argued that Nigeria cannot continue relying on foreign nations for medicines, vaccines, and essential medical products if it intends to achieve healthcare sovereignty and sustainable development. She emphasized that local manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and medical devices remains critical to ensuring medicine security and national prosperity. 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. Investors would be more willing to support the sector once local manufacturers consistently meet international standards, thereby increasing pharmaceutical output within Nigeria.
Government Initiatives
Despite concerns, 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 percent 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. She advocated for partnership-driven investments in the local production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), advanced formulations, and sustainable industrial ecosystems.
Collaborative Efforts
To demonstrate growing momentum, Ukwu 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 policy momentum, Ukwu warned that critical structural barriers still threaten 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.
Only about 10 percent of local pharmaceutical companies currently have access to affordable long-term capital needed for large-scale API manufacturing investments. To address this, she urged the government to mobilize funding through institutions such as the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority and the European Investment Bank.
Recommendations
Ukwu concluded by calling for targeted foreign exchange relief, import duty exemptions on pharmaceutical raw materials, and harmonized African regulatory frameworks to expand export opportunities for Nigerian-made pharmaceutical products.
Stakeholder Support
Backing her position, NAIP National Chairman Bankole Ezebuilo warned that no nation can sustainably outsource its healthcare security. He said the pharmaceutical industry must move beyond fragmented efforts and embrace an integrated ecosystem driven by collaboration, innovation, and local solutions.
Ezebuilo cautioned that continued dependence on imported medicines poses long-term dangers to the country, arguing that any nation unable to produce its own medicines is effectively negotiating with its health security. He urged the Federal Government to establish stronger enabling policies and called on academic institutions to align research with industrial realities and practical pharmaceutical needs.
Similarly, Conference Planning Committee Chairman Theophilus Emeka appealed for greater unity and collective action among stakeholders to build a resilient pharmaceutical future for Nigeria.
