Fresh pressure has mounted on the Federal Government to urgently tackle Nigeria’s worsening dependence on imported medicines, as top pharmaceutical experts warned that the country’s healthcare security and industrial future remain under serious threat.
At the 29th Annual National Conference of the Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria (NAIP), United States-based pharmaceutical scientist and quality strategist, Dr. Nonye Onyewuenyi, alongside former President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, demanded bold executive reforms and aggressive policy implementation to reverse Nigeria’s estimated 70 percent dependence on imported drugs.
The experts warned that continued reliance on foreign medicines exposes Nigeria to medicine shortages, rising healthcare costs, foreign exchange instability, and long-term industrial vulnerability.
Speaking during the conference, Dr. Onyewuenyi faulted what she described as weak policy execution and inadequate investment in local pharmaceutical manufacturing despite Nigeria’s huge market size and abundant natural resources.
“It is unacceptable for a nation of over 200 million people with more than 200 registered pharmaceutical firms to still import over 70 percent of its drugs,” she declared.
She urged the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to move beyond policy pronouncements and fully implement strategic healthcare initiatives aimed at strengthening domestic pharmaceutical production.
According to her, Nigeria already possesses the scientific expertise, manpower, and raw materials required to become a major pharmaceutical manufacturing hub in Africa if deliberate investments and strong political commitment are introduced.
Dr. Onyewuenyi identified poor infrastructure, weak research funding, unstable regulatory implementation, and limited local production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) as major obstacles undermining the industry.
She also warned that many Nigerian pharmaceutical firms remain unable to meet global manufacturing standards because of decades of underinvestment in research, laboratory systems, and industrial innovation.
The pharmaceutical scientist advocated stronger collaboration between manufacturers, universities, research institutions, and regulatory agencies to improve pharmaceutical quality standards and reduce dependence on imported products.
She further called for government-backed incentives such as tax reliefs, pharmaceutical industrial parks, long-term financing structures, and support for local API production to stimulate sustainable manufacturing growth.
On the technical side, Dr. Onyewuenyi urged manufacturers to adopt internationally compliant production systems, including Quality by Design (QbD), which she described as critical to ensuring medicine safety and global competitiveness.
According to her, poorly manufactured medicines resulting from weak scientific processes could pose serious risks to public health.
Also speaking at the conference, former PSN President, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, challenged pharmaceutical executives to abandon outdated management systems and embrace data-driven operational leadership capable of sustaining modern pharmaceutical enterprises.
Ohuabunwa stressed that performance management must become a continuous operational culture rather than a ceremonial annual exercise.
“Performance management is the heartbeat of corporate sustainability,” he said. “It is not an HR yearly form; it is a daily commitment to ensuring our patients win and our business grows.”
He warned pharmaceutical companies against compromising technical integrity, stressing that data falsification and weak compliance systems could endanger lives and damage the credibility of the industry.
The former PSN President also urged industry leaders to institutionalize merit-based systems, continuous staff coaching, measurable productivity standards, and disciplined operational monitoring across pharmaceutical companies.
Both experts agreed that Nigeria’s pharmaceutical transformation can only succeed through disciplined execution, strategic investment, strong regulatory enforcement, and sustained political will.
Reacting to the presentations, the National Chairman of NAIP, Pharm. Bankole Ezebuilo, commended the experts for presenting what he described as practical solutions capable of repositioning Nigeria’s pharmaceutical sector for long-term growth and healthcare security.
Stakeholders at the conference maintained that reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported medicines has become an urgent national priority requiring coordinated action from government, regulators, manufacturers, researchers, and investors.
Niran Odufayo