The federal government says it will commission at least 11 pharmaceutical manufacturing projects in 2026 as part of efforts to expand local drug production, strengthen health security and position Nigeria as a regional pharmaceutical manufacturing hub.
The National Coordinator of the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), Abdul Muktar, announced this on Friday at a high-level stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja held to finalise activities under the IMPACT Project with the pharmaceutical industry.
Mr Muktar said the projects, which are already underway, reflect growing investor confidence in Nigeria’s pharmaceutical sector and are expected to improve access to locally produced medicines while creating export opportunities across West Africa.
The meeting was themed, “Strengthening Local Medicines Manufacturing Capacity: From Concept to Action.”
Strengthening health security
Nigeria imports a significant proportion of the medicines consumed in the country, leaving the health sector vulnerable to foreign exchange shortages and global supply chain disruptions.
The government has, in recent years, intensified efforts to increase domestic pharmaceutical production, a push that gained momentum after the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the risks of relying heavily on imported medical products.
Speaking at the meeting, Mr Muktar said the pharmaceutical industry was emerging as a major contributor to Nigeria’s economy, noting that four pharmaceutical companies ranked among the top 10 best-performing firms on the Nigerian Exchange in 2025.
“Every year, traditionally, you only see oil and gas companies and banks, but now pharmaceutical companies are already getting there,” he said.
He urged local manufacturers to look beyond Nigeria’s estimated population of 230 million and tap into the wider West African market of about 460 million people.
Mr Muktar added that Nigeria’s recent accession to the African Medicines Agency (AMA) would simplify regional trade by reducing the need for multiple regulatory approvals across African countries.
He said current investments include diagnostic test kit manufacturing facilities in Ogun and Nasarawa states, as well as a technology transfer agreement with Bayer to produce family planning products in Anambra State.
Highlighting the need for partnerships, Mr Muktar said the government, development partners, industry players, and research institutions must work together to strengthen the country’s pharmaceutical value chain.
IMPACT Project moves to implementation
The Director-General of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Obi Adigwe, said the IMPACT Project has moved beyond policy discussions to practical interventions aimed at strengthening local pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Represented by the institute’s Head of Pharmaceutical Technology and Raw Materials Development, Phillip Builders, Mr Adigwe said the project, launched as a pilot in 2023, was designed to build the capacity of Nigerian pharmaceutical manufacturers to produce safe, high-quality medicines locally.
He described local pharmaceutical manufacturing as a national development priority that would improve health security and strengthen the country’s economic resilience.
“The global health landscape has repeatedly demonstrated that countries with strong local manufacturing ecosystems are better positioned to respond to public health emergencies,” he said.
Mr Adigwe added that the project has trained more than 100 young scientists, researchers and pharmaceutical professionals to support Nigeria’s medicines manufacturing ecosystem.
He said sustained growth in the sector would require stronger research, effective quality regulation, adequate financing, skilled manpower, innovation and strategic partnerships.
Development partners reaffirm support
The World Bank’s Team Lead on the IMPACT Project, Onoriode Ezire, said the bank would continue supporting Nigeria’s pharmaceutical manufacturing agenda through a new Health Investment Project.
According to him, the initiative will provide regulatory support, technical assistance and capacity building to strengthen local production.
Mr Ezire said the World Bank had previously invested $2 million in helping local manufacturers attain World Health Organisation (WHO) prequalification and later provided an additional $5 million to address broader manufacturing challenges.
The Programme Manager for Health at the European Union Delegation to Nigeria, Anthony Anyeke, described local pharmaceutical manufacturing as critical to improving health security and diversifying the economy.
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Mr Anyeke said the European Union is supporting Nigeria through its Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Products (MAV+) initiative, which promotes regulatory strengthening, workforce development, technology transfer and improved market access across six African countries.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Ifeanyichukwu Okeke, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to strengthening pharmaceutical quality standards.
Represented by Uduak Udoso, the agency’s group head of healthcare standardisation, Mr Okeke said SON would continue working with NIPRD, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), PVAC and other stakeholders to develop standards that encourage innovation, reduce dependence on imports and expand export opportunities.
