The Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria (NAIP), has charged the pharmaceutical industry to come up with strategies that will deliver inclusive growth, build vital competences, create wealth for all stakeholders and contribute substantially to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Pharm. (Prince) ‘Gbenga Falabi, the national chairman of NAIP, gave this charge during the recent opening ceremony of the 19th Annual National Conference of the association, held at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, chaired by Dr Christopher Kolade, former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
According to the NAIP boss, stakeholders in the pharmaceutical industry must begin to embrace Systems Thinking and Disruptive Thinking in developing human capital assets across board, while leveraging on technology to build capacities.
He further noted that the pharma industry will need to reinvent itself in order to effectively match, with required skills and competences, the emerging challenges confronting it at the moment, warning that the dearth of production pharmacists will pose a challenge for the current push to encourage the industry in favour of local production in line with the inclusive growth policy of the federal government.
The NAIP national chairman stated further that the pharma industry fully identifies with the commitment of the Buhari administration in restoring investors’ confidence in the nation’s economy, as well as its zero-tolerance for corruption across board.
He, however, urged the government to treat the health sector and the pharma industry as vital segments of the economy, which deserve special attention and preference as a result of their strategic roles in the nation’s well-being.
Pharm. Falabi bemoaned the paucity of foreign exchange to import finished pharmaceutical products and essential pharmaceutical raw materials for local production, adding that the situation portends a very dangerous development with serious negative consequences for the nation in terms of the availability of essential medicines for the citizenry.
He urged the federal government to urgently consider preferential allocation of vital foreign exchange to the pharma industry.
Speaking on the theme of the conference “Workforce Development: Imperative for Industrial Pharmacy Development,” Mr Uche Attoh, the keynote speaker, urged stakeholders in the pharmaceutical industry to take the issue of mentoring of the next generation of pharmacists seriously, noting that young pharmacists can learn a lot from notable professionals in the industry.
He also urged pharma industry stakeholders to market the industry – not only to attract the best brains but to retain such, despite the increasing cutthroat competition for the best personnel in the industrial sector.
Also speaking at the event, Dr Christopher Kolade congratulated NAIP for its 19th national conference and its choice of theme for the conference.
The distinguished elder statesman and seasoned industrialist also urged pharma industry stakeholders to take the issue of mentoring serious, adding that every generation must have a generation to follow.
While expressing confidence that the future of Nigeria would be great, he urged every Nigeria to contribute positively towards making this a reality soon enough.
