FG, World Bank Resume Phase 2 Capacity Building for Local Pharma Manufacturers

pharmacy

The Federal Government of Nigeria has reiterated its desire to work with relevant stakeholders to build a vibrant and formidable pharmaceutical industry that will not only meet local consumption but also play at the global market.

The Director,  Chemical and Non-Petrochemical Industrial Development Department, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Francis Onuorah, made this known on Tuesday in Lagos, at a capacity-building workshop, organised for pharmaceutical manufacturers in Nigeria.

Onuorah said at the event that the Federal Government is ready to develop and make the industries in Nigeria work, adding that the ministry has met with stakeholders in the industry and is ready to work with them to produce Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API).

The programme titled “Nigeria pharmaceutical manufacturers’ quality improvement and capacity building”, was sponsored by the World Bank Group and facilitated by Bloom Public Health and the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD).

While speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer, Bloom Public Health, Prof. Chimezie Anyakora said the reason for the programme is to support drug manufacturers in Nigeria to produce quality medicine so that the nation’s pharmaceutical industry will stand strong.

Prof. Anyakora said, “We can’t continue to be a dumping ground as a country and this is the reason this massive effort is being put together and I am happy that the Federal Government  is supporting it. It is a journey to make Nigeria a big leader in drug manufacturing.

“The intention is to make Nigeria the India of Africa in drug manufacturing. This is why we are training the manufacturers so that they will be well-grounded to produce drugs that can compete globally”.

Anyakora stated further that excellence in pharmaceutical manufacturing can be attained in Nigeria if the relevant industry players can scale up their games with passion and the right energy. He added that the Nigerian pharma industry is ‘falling our hands’ because all stakeholders have not done enough to compete at the global level, despite their capabilities.

While speaking at the event, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi said the essence of the event is to equip the pharmaceutical manufacturers in Nigeria with what it takes not only to produce drugs that will meet local needs but also export and compete globally.

“The essence of this programme is to see how we can increase the production of drugs that will meet local consumption and also produce drugs that meet the World Health Organisation’s GMP. It is also important for us to ensure that products that are produced in Nigeria have bioequivalence because it is not good to have a product that carries 500mg and what the patient gets after using the product is just 30%. We are ready to patronise local drug manufacturers as long as their products are standard”, Abayomi said.

Also speaking at the programme, the Director, Foods and Drug, Federal Ministry of Health, Pharm. (Mrs) Bunmi Aribeana stated that Nigeria has about 169 pharma manufacturers, producing different ranges of drugs in different areas, but bioequivalence remains a critical factor that need to be addressed.

She urged all stakeholders to join hands together to build a vibrant and strong pharmaceutical industry that will compete globally.

In his remarks, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), Professor Martins Emeje also charged stakeholders in Nigeria to work hard towards developing indigenous plants in Nigeria.