- Set to Honour Ebonyi Gov, CBN Gov, Others
The 24th National Conference of the Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria (NAIP) with the theme “Technological revolution – adaptation in industrial Pharmacy practice”, has been slated to hold from Tuesday 13 to Friday 16 July, 2021 at Marriot Hotel, Lagos.
Speaking jointly in an exclusive interview with Pharmanews in Lagos, the Chairman of NAIP Pharm. Ignatius Anukwu and the Conference Planning Committee (CPC) Chairman, Pharm. Amen Eghomwanre said this year’s conference was designed to expose delegates to technological innovations that could help to improve the standard of practice.
Eghomwanre noted that the conference would be hybrid, as there will be opportunities for both physical and virtual participation. He urged delegates to the conference to prepare themselves to learn current trends in best practices and “the new ways of doing things with technology”.
On what to expect at the conference, Eghomwanre disclosed that there would be training sessions by the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), recognition awards to some dignitaries and election of new of new officers of the association would also hold at the conference. He also noted that the CPC was working to bring in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to hold a training session for delegates on how to access the CBN pharma intervention fund.
Pharm. Anukwu informed that in order to drive home the message of the conference, the association has invited as keynote speaker, the President of the Industrial Pharmacy section of the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), Pharm. Sola Solarin, whose wealth of knowledge and vast global exposure on the subject would be of immense benefit to delegates at the conference.
Other dignitaries lined up to speak at the conference include: Dr (Mrs) Dere Awosika, former chief executive officer of the National Programme on Immunization (NPI) and current Chairman, Access Bank Board of Directors, who will chair the opening ceremony, Pharm. (Mazi) Sam Ohuabunwa, president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and a host of others.
Addressing questions on how NAIP is making efforts to get government’s attention to the technological requirement of the industry, the NAIP chairman said “As a technical group of PSN and as an association, most of what we do is advocacy and impact, we like to speak to government, we like to show the direction, we can give advice on what is possible or what is not. So this conference as you know is part of the way to talk to government because, when you have a conference of this nature, we believe government will be interested to know what comes out from the communiqué for example.
“So when the keynote speaker may have laid bare the ways technology can improve our practice, we believe government will key in. It is not only about government, there are also things that our members have to do; things that lie within the business environment, members have to do. There are also things that we need government to do to support the business environment in terms of ease of doing business.
“Talking about the Pharma Park, this is about the first time you are having a professional association raising the bar to the extent that the advocacy is resulting in the establishment of a park, Pharmaceutical Park. Maybe this is the first in West Africa. NAIP has really demonstrated its ability to make an impact. The Ebony State Government is giving us a 100 hectares of land to build this park and we are working with them to set up the company that will manage the park. So the beauty of it and the essence of doing that is working together with our regulators to see that the companies that emanate from the park are up to speed in modern day technology.
“We are not going to be working backwards like we had 20 years ago trying to modernize them, no, once we get to the park any company, any plant that is going to be in that park will be like a step ahead of others, because designing the park will have to be up to speed with CGMP and work with our regulators to ensure that whatever we have in that park will be best practice across Africa, across the world. So the keynote address by Pharm Solarin is going to focus on how to migrate to the park from deliberations at the conference room”, he stated.
Top among dignitaries to be awarded at the conference are: Engr. Dave Umahi, executive governor of Ebonyi State; Mr Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria; Prof. Moji Adeyeye, DG NAFDAC; Dr Obi Adigwe, DG NIPRD; Dr NAE Mohammed, registrar, PCN; Pharm. Farouk Salim, DG SON, among others.
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