By Esther Onyegbula

A leading global biopharmaceutical executive, Dr. Henrietta Ukwu, has called on the Federal Government to urgently reduce Nigeria’s heavy dependence on imported medicines, describing the country’s estimated 70 per cent reliance on foreign drugs as “worrisome and unfortunate.”

Speaking at the 29th Annual National Conference of the Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria, AIPN, in Ilorin, Kwara State, Ukwu said Nigeria must aggressively strengthen local pharmaceutical manufacturing to guarantee national health security, economic growth and industrial independence.

Delivering a keynote address titled, “Nigeria’s Pharmaceutical Industry as a Pillar of National Health, Wealth, and Security,” Ukwu said no nation seeking sustainable healthcare delivery could continue to depend largely on imported medicines, vaccines and medical products.

The conference, themed “Collaboration and Innovation to Build Local Solutions for the Future of the Nigerian Pharmaceutical Industry,” brought together pharmaceutical industry leaders, policymakers, researchers and investors from across the country.
According to her, local manufacturing remains the surest path to medicine security and national development.
“Health is wealth,” she declared, adding that countries dependent on imported healthcare products risk remaining vulnerable economically and medically.

Ukwu noted that Nigeria possesses the human and natural resources required to build a globally competitive pharmaceutical industry but lamented that such opportunities had not been fully harnessed.
“We have incredible expertise and all it takes to move the pharmaceutical industry forward, but we are not fully harnessing the natural resources Nigeria is endowed with. The Federal Government is making efforts and progress is being recorded, but there is still significant room for improvement,” she said.

She advocated a comprehensive industrial transformation strategy driven by sustainable technologies, infrastructure development, manufacturing excellence, stable electricity supply, water access, capacity building and an enabling business environment.

According to her, many of the challenges confronting the sector could become stepping stones toward long-term transformation if properly addressed.
“Number one is the issue of importation of drugs into this country. How do we do that? By investment,” she said.

She added that stronger regulatory guidance and improved investor confidence would naturally boost local pharmaceutical production.
“When investors see that manufacturers are meeting world standards, they will put their money into the industry, and this will boost the production of pharmaceutical products in Nigeria,” Ukwu stated.

The National Chairman of AIPN, Bankole Ezebuilo, also warned that no nation could sustainably outsource its healthcare security.
“No nation can outsource its health security, and no sector can thrive in isolation,” Ezebuilo said.

He stressed the need for the pharmaceutical industry to move beyond fragmented efforts toward a more integrated ecosystem anchored on innovation and local solutions.
“Doing more of the same will not take us where we need to go,” he cautioned.

Lamenting the country’s dependence on imported medicines, Ezebuilo said: “A nation that cannot produce its own medicines is a nation negotiating with its health, and negotiation is not where you want to be when lives are at stake.”

He called on the government to strengthen enabling policies while urging academic institutions to align research with practical industrial needs.

Chairman of the Conference Planning Committee, Theophilus Emeka, appealed for greater unity among stakeholders to build a resilient pharmaceutical future for Nigeria.

While acknowledging the challenges facing the sector, Ukwu commended President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain, PVAC, which targets increasing local pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity to 70 per cent by 2030.

According to her, the initiative could position Nigeria as Africa’s leading pharmaceutical manufacturing and export hub.
However, she stressed that genuine pharmaceutical independence must go beyond packaging operations and “fill-and-finish” models to include local production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, APIs, advanced formulations and sustainable industrial ecosystems.

She highlighted ongoing collaborations supporting local manufacturing, including the partnership between the International Finance Corporation, IFC, and Fidson Healthcare Plc on API manufacturing, the European Union-backed ELMiN partnership, the France-supported Qualimed Project and Nigeria’s pharmaceutical cooperation agreement with Brazil.

Ukwu also referenced the near completion of Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited’s API plant in Sagamu, Ogun State, aimed at anti-malarial API production.
She further praised collaborations involving the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, NIPRD, and industry stakeholders focused on bridging the gap between academic research and commercial pharmaceutical production.

According to her, plans were also underway for local HIV antiretroviral manufacturing through partnerships involving the National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency and La-Shipson Pharmaceuticals.
Ukwu commended the impact of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, “5+5 Policy,” which she said had encouraged pharmaceutical firms to transition from importation to local manufacturing.

She also highlighted workforce development initiatives such as Empower Academy 2026 by the Federal Ministry of Health and the NAIP Academy, both designed to provide industry-focused training for future pharmaceutical professionals.
Beyond manufacturing, she emphasized the importance of strengthening medicine supply systems through initiatives such as the PVAC-backed “Medipool” programme, aimed at reducing medicine costs through pooled procurement while ensuring stable demand for local manufacturers.
She also identified MedSuRe Africa, a Unitaid-supported initiative, as critical to improving medicine supply resilience across Africa.

Despite the growing momentum, Ukwu warned that several structural barriers still threatened the sector’s growth.
She listed limited access to affordable financing, high energy costs, unreliable power supply, poor industrial infrastructure and inadequate access to high-grade solvents and intermediates among the major challenges facing local manufacturers.

According to her, only about 10 per cent of local pharmaceutical companies currently have access to affordable long-term capital needed for large-scale API manufacturing investments.
To address the challenge, she urged government to mobilize funding support through institutions such as the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority and the European Investment Bank, EIB.

“The success of these initiatives depends on consistent policy, improved regulatory efficiency, and continued investment to transition from ‘fill and finish’ to full-scale, sustainable manufacturing,” she stressed.

Ukwu also called for targeted foreign exchange relief, import duty waivers on pharmaceutical raw materials and harmonized African regulatory frameworks to unlock export opportunities for Nigerian-made pharmaceutical products.

The conference attracted several industry leaders and former presidents of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, including Mohammed Yaro Budah, Azubike Okwor, Olumide Akintayo, Ahmed Yakasai and Sam Ohuabunwa.

Others in attendance included the current PSN President, Ayuba Tanko Ibrahim, represented by Gafar Lanre Madehin, Registrar of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, Ibrahim Babashehu Ahmed, as well as notable industry figures such as Val Ezeiru, Ike Onyechi, Azuka Okeke, Lere Baale, Lolu Ojo, Monica Eimunjeze, Osaretin Jayeola, Mubarak Shittu and Bioku Rahman.

The Kwara State Government also sent a delegation comprising Hauwa Nuru, Mariam Nana Fatima Imam, Bolanle Olukoju and Abdulraheem Abdulmalik, underscoring the state’s commitment to partnering with industrial pharmacists and investors to strengthen Nigeria’s pharmaceutical sector.