The National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) has called for stronger coordination, longer policy timelines, and improved industry awareness to accelerate local medicine production in Nigeria.
The Institute said the call became necessary as, three months after the 2024 Presidential Executive Order on import duty and VAT exemptions for critical pharmaceutical inputs took effect in March 2025, following delays due to the absence of a government white paper, a June 2025 survey of 87 manufacturers it conducted found that while 87% were aware of the order, fewer than half had received the full benefits.
The Institute said three months after implementation, 34% reported improved production quality, but challenges persist, including hidden fees, bureaucratic barriers, and a short two-year exemption period.
It said phase one of its medicine security project has been completed, including industry audits, technical workshops, and support for selected manufacturers to work toward WHO prequalification.
Despite progress, NIPRD noted that gaps remain in infrastructure, human capacity, regulatory alignment, financing, and market access.
These emerged on Wednesday in Abuja during a high-level stakeholders’ meeting on harmonising Health sector pharmaceutical activities, organised by NIPRD that drew pharmaceutical manufacturers, academics and international development partners, among several others.
Moving forward, NIPRD recommended a single-window customs clearance system, at least a 10-year exemption period, digitised regulatory processes, and incentives for local API and excipient production.
It also stressed that sustained government–industry engagement is critical to ensuring Nigeria achieves full medicine security.
In his remarks, Dr. Hamzat Tayo harped on the need for sustained engagement and collaborative efforts in advancing pharmaceutical regulation and oversight, saying, “It will require engagement, which is what we are doing now. It will require collaborative efforts, as many have mentioned this morning. But it will also require strengthening our national systems, we have one in the country and ensuring regulatory harmonisation.”
The pharmaceutical system in Nigeria, according to him, is robust and large, but management remains a key challenge.
“We are not directing our efforts in a coordinated way. There are no frameworks to challenge assumptions that systems are in place and functioning, and no one to question those assumptions,” he noted.
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He urged the stakeholders to keep this in mind during the engagement, stressing that Nigeria has much to gain from a well-managed pharmaceutical industry, from the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, and from strengthening quality management systems across both upstream and downstream operation.
“Most of the time, we focus on upstream activities and overlook the supply chain and the actual use of medicines. A good framework must consider the entire supply chain cycle in this country,” he said.
Dr. Francis Ohayindo of the African Institute of Public Health noted that one of Nigeria’s long-standing development failures is the lack of harmonisation, including the absence of commissions to drive coordinated action.
“The fact that NIPRD is bringing together stakeholders from the pharmaceutical sector and beyond to have this conversation and take stock is common sense and critical,” he said.
He pointed out that the global landscape for development financing has shifted in recent months, citing the recent closure of USAID as it had previously operated.
This, he said, made it even more important not to waste resources and to avoid duplicating efforts through regular, transparent conversations across sectors.
Ohayindo also stressed the importance of market shaping as a development tool. He recalled that during Onyebuchi Chukwu’s tenure as Minister of Health, the UN identified 13 commodity areas for targeted development, leading to innovations such as chlorhexidine and dispersible amoxicillin tablets.
He said regulatory harmonisation could help Nigeria identify clear gaps and opportunities in the African Continental Free Trade Area.
“If we do it right, Nigeria can take the lead across the continent because we have the numbers and the capacity, but harmonisation will be the key,” he said.
Earlier, Dr. Obi Peter Adigwe, the Director General of NIPRD, who was represented by Philip Builders, a Professor of Pharmaceutics at the Institute, emphasised the council’s role in using locally available agro- and mineral-based raw materials to support domestic manufacturing
“We have had collaborations with some of you on research projects, and we have recorded successes.
“In the pharmaceutical sector, we have achieved a breakthrough in research on a pain reliever comparable to acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) as an active pharmaceutical ingredient.
“We are now moving towards patenting, and once completed, this will be highly valuable to the industry,” he noted, calling for stronger collaborations with sector stakeholders.
