By Chioma Obinna

The Federal Government has intensified efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry, providing technical support to indigenous manufacturers as part of moves to position them for World Health Organisation, WHO, prequalification and improve national medicine security.

The initiative, anchored by the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development, NIPRD, in collaboration with the National Malaria Elimination Programme and supported by the World Bank, is designed to enhance the capacity of local drug manufacturers to compete in African and global markets.
The project, themed “Meeting to Consolidate Technical Support/Capacity Building to the Pharma Industry; Ensuring Medicine Quality – Advanced Insights into WHO Prequalification,” held on Thursday in Lagos.
Speaking at the event, the Director-General of NIPRD, Obi Adigwe, described the intervention as “transformational,” noting that Nigerian manufacturers are now closer than ever to meeting global standards.

“Medicine security is not just a health metric; it is the bedrock of national sovereignty.
“For years, our pharmaceutical sector has been excluded from global procurement opportunities due to stringent WHO benchmarks, but that is now changing.”

Adigwe said the programme followed a structured four-phase model aimed at shifting companies from capacity gaps to compliance readiness.

He revealed that technical competence among participating firms rose significantly from 33.3 per cent to 86.7 per cent, while 13 of 19 identified critical gaps have already been closed.

“This is not just about compliance,” he said. “It is about aligning systems to deliver measurable, globally acceptable outcomes.”

Also speaking, Lead for the IMPACT Project at NIPRD, Mr Okefu Oyale Okoko, said the progress marks a turning point for the country’s pharmaceutical landscape.

“Companies are now at different levels of readiness, but the trajectory is clear, they are moving toward WHO prequalification,” he said.

Okoko noted that achieving WHO certification for antimalarial medicines would be a historic breakthrough, as no African manufacturer has yet attained such certification for the category.
“It would strengthen medicine security in Nigeria and position our manufacturers to compete globally,” he added.

Project Lead Consultant, Pharm. Desola Arowolo, attributed the progress to a shift in mindset among participating companies.

“At the beginning, there was skepticism. But with technical support and gap analysis, that changed. Companies realised they were closer to global standards than they thought.”

She explained that many firms were already applying good manufacturing practices but required alignment with WHO expectations, leading to the development of Common Technical Document, CTD, dossiers for antimalarial medicines.

According to her, the gains extend beyond certification. “This is about access to quality medicines, reduced import dependence, job creation, and economic growth,” she said.

However, she identified funding constraints as a major challenge, noting that scaling production to meet global benchmarks requires significant investment.

Representatives of participating companies commended the Federal Government and NIPRD for the intervention, while urging continued support, particularly financing, to upgrade facilities and sustain progress toward full WHO prequalification.