The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Christianah Mojisola Adeyeye, has linked the unprecedented growth of Nigeria’s pharmaceutical sector to a strengthened regulatory framework and deliberate government interventions.
Speaking at the commissioning of the SAM Pharmaceuticals Limited ultra-modern facility in Sango-Ota, Professor Adeyeye revealed that contract manufacturing in Nigeria has witnessed a sixfold increase.
She attributed this expansion to the agency’s five plus five policy and the ceiling list, which mandated a migration from total import dependence to local production or strategic partnerships with domestic manufacturers.
Professor Adeyeye emphasized that a robust regulatory system is a prerequisite for investment, noting that no credible investor commits capital where oversight is weak.
She noted that “quality is synonymous with trade,” explaining that when rigorous standards are built into the manufacturing process, international trade opportunities are naturally enhanced.
The Director General further highlighted NAFDAC’s global standing as a catalyst for this growth. Having secured the World Health Organization (WHO) Maturity Level 3 (ML3) status, the first National Regulatory Agency in Sub-Saharan Africa to successfully undergo re-benchmarking the agency is now focused on attaining Maturity Level 4 (ML4) and World Listed Authority (WLA) status.
Industry leaders present at the event corroborated the transformative impact of these regulatory shifts.
Chairman of FIDSON Healthcare Plc, Dr. Fidelis Ayebae observed that the industry has tripled in capacity under the current regulatory era.
He noted that the ratio of imported pharmaceutical products to locally manufactured medicines has significantly improved, moving from a 70–30 split to a balanced 50–50 distribution.
“Policies drive industries,” Dr. Ayebae stated, noting that the agency’s insistence on international best practices has encouraged existing factories to retool for higher capacity and spurred the emergence of new manufacturing plants across the country.
In his remarks, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Isiaka Salako, added that the transformation of the pharmaceutical sector is a key pillar of the Nigeria Firstphilosophy under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He credited the Presidential Executive Order which introduced zero tariffs on pharmaceutical machinery and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) while directly benefiting 87 local manufacturing companies.
Dr. Salako remarked that these reforms are essential for achieving medicine sovereignty, ensuring that Nigeria’s healthcare needs are met through domestic resilience rather than external supply chains.
He pointed to recent milestones, such as two Nigerian products attaining WHO Pre-qualification status and the imminent commencement of the first API manufacturing plant in Sub-Saharan Africa, as evidence of a burgeoning industrial revolution.