As part of activities to prepare the Nigerian Pharmacy workforce for a digital healthcare future, the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Jos (UNIJOS) in collaboration with the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) Plateau State Chapter, has organised the 2025 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) workshop to equip pharmacists with required digital skills.
In his keynote address, Mr Precious Adeniyi, a U.S based Nigerian specialist in health informatics and bioinformatics, emphasised that policy will determine whether innovation becomes a tool for equity or a driver of inequality.
Adeniyi noted that technologies like AI, genomics, and clinical decision support are already transforming care in high-income countries. But without policies for data governance, interoperability, and equitable access, these same tools could leave Nigeria further behind.
He drew attention to Nigeria’s physician density of just 0.40 per 1,000 (≈4 per 10,000), compared to a global average of 17.2, and a broadband penetration of only 48.8 per cent as of May 2025. These systemic gaps, he argued, implies that simply importing foreign models is insufficient; Nigeria requires context-specific policy frameworks to make digital health work.
Crucially for pharmacists, Adeniyi emphasised the shift from drug–drug interactions to drug–gene interactions. As precision medicine grows, pharmacists will be expected to interpret genetic test results, integrate with AI-powered decision tools, and guide therapy choices at the point of care.
“Pharmacists cannot be passive,” he told the audience. “They must be trained and empowered to lead in this new era.”
In response, faculty leaders, including Prof. B. B. Bukar, dean and Dr Lohdip V. Domjul PSN Plateau chairman, committed to exploring pharmacogenomics modules in the curriculum and promoting stronger research collaborations.
Adeniyi urged that these academic efforts be backed by national policy: A Nigerian equivalent of HIPAA to safeguard data; investment in broadband and digital infrastructure; and a national strategy for integrating pharmacists into precision medicine and AI-driven care.
The message from Jos was clear: pharmacists must be positioned at the forefront of digital health policy, not the sidelines. If equipped with the right tools and frameworks, they can bridge the gap between science and patient care, ensuring that Nigeria is not left behind in the genomic age.
