The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has emphasized the importance of local pharmaceutical manufacturing in the country in view of the health benefits.
Adeyeye, who made this remark during the Panel Discussions at the Nigerian Economic Summit Group’s (NESG’s) pre-summit webinar in preparation for the 30th Nigerian Economic Summit (#NES30) with the theme ‘Strengthening Healthcare Regulatory Bodies in Nigeria’, said that manufacturing 70% of pharmaceuticals locally and importing 30% would allow for better monitoring and adherence to good manufacturing practices.
She restated the agency’s commitment to continue to conduct routine and targeted inspections to ensure these standards are met.
At the forum experts and stakeholders in the healthcare system discussed the challenges within Nigeria’s healthcare regulatory framework and to develop actionable recommendations for enhancing regulatory capacity to ensure effective healthcare regulation across the country.
In his opening remarks at the event, Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Ekiti State, Dr. Oyebanji Filani, emphasized the crucial role of a strong healthcare system in national development. He highlighted the significant impact that well-resourced regulatory bodies can have on public safety, investor confidence, and overall healthcare quality in Nigeria.
The expert, who is also a Steering Committee member of NESG’s Health Policy Commission (HPC), noted that addressing current challenges was essential to fostering an environment conducive to healthcare development, which in turn supports socioeconomic advancement.
Also, in his keynote address, the Coordinator of the Unlocking Healthcare Value-Chain Initiative, Dr. Mukhtar, pointed out that healthcare currently contributed 3-4% of Nigeria’s GDP compared to 17% in the United States and 15-20% in Europe.
He, therefore, underscored the necessity of a robust healthcare system for national stability and competitiveness.
Mukhtar also outlined the government’s ongoing healthcare 2022-2026 reform plan, anchored on four pillars of effective governance, improved population health outcomes, unlocking the healthcare value chain, and enhancing health security, particularly in pandemic preparedness.
He further discussed the Presidential Initiative to unlock the healthcare value chain, launched in October 2023, which involves 20 key regulatory agencies and five ministries and aims to increase local pharmaceutical production, reduce medical tourism, and attract investment.
According to him, achievements recorded through the implementation of the plan so far include a presidential executive order removing duties on machinery and materials for medical product manufacturing and the signing of several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) to support research and development platforms for vaccine production and to strengthen regulatory bodies.
The experts at the summit highlighted the challenges facing Nigeria’s healthcare regulatory bodies as including inadequate budgets, insufficient staffing, and outdated laws which, they noted, continued to hinder thorough inspections, compliance enforcement, and the overall effectiveness of regulatory oversight, posing risks to patient safety.
