There continues to be a vociferous clamour for the Nigerian local pharmaceutical manufacturing space to improve its capacity in order to serve the medicine needs of Nigerians and perhaps the wider African continent. In fact, it was the focal point of deliberations at the 2026 Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers’ Expo held in Lagos. Pharma leaders, such as Dr Fidelis Ayebae, chairman of Fidson, Chief Stella Okoli, CEO of Emzor and Mr Oluwatosin Jolayemi, CEO of Daily Need Industries, spoke to the importance of improving Nigeria’s local pharmaceutical output and its ripple effects on the national economy.
Ayebae’s presentation during the panel session was instructive, as he linked the improvement of the nation’s local manufacturing capacity to economic growth. He argued that Nigeria’s economy could blossom if we begin producing what we consume. He took the challenge beyond the pharmaceutical industry, urging other sectors of the economy to think of manufacturing independence, a situation where we no longer have to depend on other countries for the products we consume, especially pharmaceuticals. He consequently discouraged the saturation of the Nigerian pharmaceutical market with imported medicines from India, while urging Indians to set up manufacturing plants in Nigeria – a development that will boost the national economy and strengthen the naira.
Despite the optimism that permeated the atmosphere at the 2026 Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers’ Expo, it is important to face the reality on the ground. While the DG of NAFDAC and some other stakeholders continue to sell the narrative that Nigeria’s local pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity is now at a 50:50 ratio, the claim seems to be at variance with the daily experiences of the average Nigerian patient who struggles to access quality medications for common ailments like malaria and typhoid.
Besides the fact that some of these medications are no longer very effective in the treatment of the aforementioned ailments, their prices are very exorbitant. For an average Nigerian patient to effectively treat malaria, he needs nothing less than N10, 000 to N15, 000. This is a disaster in a country where 140 million people are living in poverty.
When this writer sought an explanation from Pharm. (Mrs) Uzoma Ezeoke, executive director (General Duties, Human Resources and Finance), Emzor Pharmaceuticals Limited, on the glaring paradox of NAFDAC’s 50:50 narrative and the lingering inability of Nigerian patients to access affordable medicines, she pointed to a value-chain issue.
Ezeoke said the affordability crisis facing Nigerian patients cannot be resolved simply by expanding local pharmaceutical manufacturing, arguing that attention must also be given to the entire medicine value chain. According to her, manufacturers know the prices at which their products leave the factory, but have limited control over subsequent mark-ups imposed at different levels before the medicines reach consumers.
Ezeoke added that the lack of effective oversight across those levels results in successive price increases, placing additional pressure on patients already struggling with rising healthcare costs. She also pointed to an imbalance between locally manufactured and imported medicines, saying local manufacturers face pressure to address pricing while imported products do not necessarily face the same level of pressure.
Addressing the rising cost of medicines requires the government to look beyond manufacturers and examine the entire supply chain, from production to the final patient. There should be stronger monitoring of medicine prices at every stage, with greater transparency around the mark-ups applied by manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and pharmacies. If a medicine leaves the factory at a particular price and reaches the patient at a significantly higher price, regulators should be able to identify where and why the increase occurred.
Government should also ensure that locally manufactured and imported medicines are subject to a fair and transparent pricing environment, while reducing the costs faced by local manufacturers through policies that address foreign exchange, electricity, raw materials, machinery, taxes, transportation and access to affordable financing.
The responsibility, therefore, is shared across the entire pharmaceutical value chain, although government must take the lead by providing effective regulation, reliable price intelligence and a competitive environment that protects both patients and manufacturers. Pharmaceutical manufacturers must be transparent about their costs and avoid unjustified price increases, while distributors, wholesalers and pharmacies should ensure that their margins are reasonable and defensible.
At the same time, the government should strengthen competition and regularly monitor the prices of essential medicines to identify excessive or unexplained increases. The goal should not be to force manufacturers to sell medicines below sustainable prices, but to ensure that every stage of the supply chain operates responsibly so that patients are not burdened with unnecessary costs.
