Salako: FG targets 70% local production of essential medicines by 2030
The federal government has reaffirmed its commitment to expanding pharmaceutical manufacturing in Nigeria, with a target of achieving at least 70 per cent local production of essential healthcare products by 2030.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, disclosed this on Monday while declaring open the 8th Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers Expo organised by the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN) in Lagos.
Salako said disruptions to global supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic had demonstrated the need for Nigeria and other African countries to strengthen domestic capacity to produce medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and other critical health technologies.
“Our conversation can no longer be limited to whether we can access medicines when global supply chains are functioning. The more fundamental question is whether we can produce what our people need when those supply chains are disrupted,” he said.
The minister said medicine security was not only a health-sector objective but also a matter of national resilience and sovereignty.
According to him, the Federal Government, under President Bola Tinubu, has introduced interventions including the Presidential Initiative to Unlock the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC) and the Presidential Executive Order for Pharmaceutical and Allied Sectors to revitalise local manufacturing.
He disclosed that PVAC had secured commitments of about $2 billion at single-digit interest rates, with about 50 Nigerian health firms in advanced funding discussions.
Salako also said 87 local manufacturers were benefiting from the implementation of the Presidential Executive Order, which provides zero tariffs on pharmaceutical machinery, active pharmaceutical ingredients and excipients across nearly 1,000 Harmonised System codes.
