FG targets 70% local pharmaceutical production

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, announced on Sunday that the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain aims to increase local manufacturing of pharmaceutical products in Nigeria to at least 70% by 2030.

In a video shared on X, Pate explained that the initiative also aims to significantly increase the number of full-time employees working in life sciences manufacturing, with the current workforce of approximately 20,000 set to grow by tens of thousands.

The minister also highlighted the establishment of Nigeria’s new pharmaceutical manufacturing training institute, Empower Academy Nigeria, in partnership with Empower Swiss, Geneva.

He emphasised that this step marks a major leap forward in Nigeria’s efforts to localise the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and medical devices, benefiting the country’s economy and the wider region under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu.

PVAC, launched as a cornerstone of the Renewed Hope Agenda in October 2023, is under the auspices of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

In his statement, Pate said, “Only a few days ago, the foremost Swiss academy, the Empower School of Health Geneva, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a regional training hub for pharmaceutical manufacturing in Nigeria, which will be launched very soon. It will be named Empower Academy Nigeria. This historic development would not have been possible without the critical work of the Presidential Initiative to unlock the Healthcare Value Chain.”

He further added, “Since its establishment by the President in October 2023, under the leadership of its National Coordinator, Dr. Abdu Mukhtar, PVAC has led to several high-value investment commitments and has set ambitious goals to increase local manufacturing of pharmaceutical products in Nigeria to at least 70% of locally consumed pharmaceuticals and a large portion of the vaccines we consume by 2030. The initiative also aims to boost the workforce in life sciences manufacturing by tens of thousands, establish at least two plants for biologicals, five new medical supplies and diagnostics platforms, and double Nigeria’s pharmaceutical market share in Africa to at least 15%.”