Nigeria targets 70% domestic production of essential medicines by 2030

The Federal Government is targeting local production of at least 70 per cent of essential healthcare products by 2030, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare Iziaq Salako has said. Salako announced the target in Lagos on Monday while opening the eighth Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers Expo, organised by the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria. The event focused on regional manufacturing and Africa’s pharmaceutical and life-sciences capacity.

The minister said the Presidential Initiative to Unlock the Healthcare Value Chain had secured about $2 billion in financing commitments at single-digit interest rates. According to him, around 50 Nigerian health firms were in advanced discussions to access the funding. He also said 87 local manufacturers were benefiting from a presidential executive order that removed tariffs on pharmaceutical machinery, active pharmaceutical ingredients and excipients across almost 1,000 Harmonised System codes.

Salako said disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic had demonstrated the risks of relying heavily on international supply chains. He argued that medicine security should be treated as an issue of national resilience and sovereignty, requiring capacity across the pharmaceutical value chain rather than only in final-product assembly. Government efforts, he said, included expanding domestic production of active ingredients, vaccines, biologics, diagnostics and other health commodities.

He cited the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development’s API Capacity Building and Concept Production Centre, as well as work to localise HIV, hepatitis and syphilis diagnostic products. Salako said Medipool, Nigeria’s national group purchasing organisation for essential medicines and medical commodities, would aggregate demand, negotiate bulk purchases and create more predictable markets for local manufacturers. He also urged producers and investors to pursue regional opportunities through the African Continental Free Trade Area.