A leading global biopharmaceutical executive, Henrietta Ukwu, has called for Nigeria to urgently end its overwhelming dependence on imported medicines, describing the country's estimated 70 per cent reliance on foreign drugs as both worrisome and unfortunate.
Call for Local Manufacturing
Speaking at the 29th Annual National Conference of the Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria (NAIP) in Ilorin, Kwara State, Dr. Ukwu urged the federal government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to aggressively deepen support for local pharmaceutical manufacturing. She emphasized that this is a strategic pathway to national health security, economic prosperity, and industrial independence.
She stated that Nigeria cannot continue to rely on foreign nations for medicines, vaccines, and essential medical products if it truly seeks sovereignty in healthcare delivery. Insisting that local manufacturing of pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and medical devices remains the surest route to medicine security and sustainable national development, she noted that any nation that remains heavily dependent on imported healthcare products risks falling behind in the global economic and healthcare landscape.
Ukwu highlighted that Nigeria possesses abundant natural and human resources capable of driving a globally competitive pharmaceutical industry but lamented that these advantages remain largely underutilized. “We have incredible expertise and all it takes to move the pharmaceutical industry forward, but we are not fully harnessing the natural resources Nigeria is endowed with. The Federal Government is making efforts and progress is being recorded, but there is still significant room for improvement,” she stated.
Comprehensive Industrial Transformation
Ukwu advocated a comprehensive industrial transformation strategy anchored on sustainable technologies, infrastructure development, manufacturing excellence, capacity building, stable electricity, water supply, and an enabling business environment. Despite existing obstacles, she maintained that many of the industry's current challenges are actually stepping stones toward long-term transformation and self-reliance.
“Number one is the issue of importation of drugs into this country. How do we do that? By investment,” she said. She explained that stronger regulatory guidance and investor confidence would naturally stimulate local pharmaceutical production and reduce the country's dependence on imported medicines.
Presidential Initiative Commended
Ukwu commended the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), which aims to increase local pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity to 70 per cent by 2030. According to her, the initiative has the potential to transform Nigeria into Africa's leading pharmaceutical manufacturing and export hub.
National Chairman of NAIP, Bankole Ezebuilo, warned that no nation can outsource its healthcare security and survive sustainably. He stressed that the pharmaceutical industry must move beyond fragmented efforts toward a fully integrated ecosystem driven by innovation, collaboration, and local solutions. Lamenting the alarming scale of import dependency, Ezebuilo questioned the future implications of a country where over 70 per cent of medicines consumed are sourced externally. “A nation that cannot produce its own medicines is a nation negotiating with its health, and negotiation is not where you want to be when lives are at stake,” he said.
He called on the Federal Government to establish stronger enabling policies while urging academia to align research with industrial realities and practical pharmaceutical needs. The Chairman of the Conference Planning Committee, Theophilus Emeka, also appealed for greater unity and collective action among stakeholders to build a resilient pharmaceutical future for Nigeria.
