Dr. Henrietta Ukwu Demand Urgent Overhaul to Crush Nigeria’s 70% Drug Import Dependency
By: Manoah Kikekon
 |
| Dr. Henrietta Ukwu |
ILORIN, NIGERIA – Renowned global biopharmaceutical executive, Dr. Henrietta Ukwu, has issued a fierce wake-up call to Nigeria's political and industrial leadership, labeling the nation's 70 percent reliance on foreign-manufactured medicines as both "worrisome and unfortunate."
Delivering a compelling keynote address at the 29th Annual National Conference of the Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria (NAIP) in Ilorin, Kwara State, Dr. Ukwu challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration to aggressively ramp up support for local drug manufacturing as a matter of urgent national health security and sovereignty.
Speaking on the theme, “Nigeria’s Pharmaceutical Industry as a Pillar of National Health, Wealth, and Security,” Dr. Ukwu stressed that true national sovereignty is impossible when a country relies almost entirely on foreign powers for vital medicines, vaccines, and basic medical supplies.
“Health is Wealth,” Dr. Ukwu emphasized passionately. “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.”
Her position was strongly reinforced by the National Chairman of NAIP, Bankole Ezebuilo, who issued a stark warning to stakeholders. He noted that surviving sustainably while outsourcing foundational healthcare is mathematically impossible, urging the local industry to abandon fragmented efforts in favor of a cohesive, innovation-driven network.
“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,” Ezebuilo declared, pointing out the extreme dangers of a 70 percent import dependency margin. “No nation can outsource its health security, and no sector can thrive in isolation. Doing more of the same will not take us where we need to go.”
While acknowledging the structural headwinds plaguing the sector, Dr. Ukwu lauded President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), which boldly targets a reversal of the current trends aiming for 70 percent local manufacturing capacity by 2030.
However, she was quick to clarify that achieving true pharmaceutical self-reliance requires a complete departure from simple packaging or cosmetic "fill-and-finish" assembly lines. Instead, she called for aggressive, partnership-driven funding targeted at localizing the production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and advanced medical formulations.
To prove that a domestic manufacturing revolution is already feasible, Dr. Ukwu highlighted several groundbreaking industrial milestones currently underway across the country:
The Fidson-IFC Pact: A strategic alliance with the International Finance Corporation to build dedicated local API production infrastructure.
The Emzor API Hub: The nearing completion of Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited's state-of-the-art API facility in Sagamu, Ogun State, structurally designed to pioneer regional anti-malarial ingredient production.
Cross-Border Frameworks: Technical cooperation agreements like the European Union-backed ELMiN initiative, France's Qualimed Project, and bilateral industrial pacts with Brazil.
Regulatory Driving Forces: The aggressive implementation of NAFDAC’s "5+5 Policy," which directly penalizes lazy import models and forces major pharmaceutical companies to establish domestic manufacturing plants.
Despite the industry's clear momentum, Dr. Ukwu warned that Nigeria's high-flying 2030 local manufacturing goals will stall without immediate, systemic interventions from the state. Chief among these barriers is the brutal lack of long-term capital, with barely 10 percent of local pharmaceutical firms currently able to secure affordable financing.
To bridge this financial gap, she urged the presidency to actively mobilize strategic funding through the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and the European Investment Bank (EIB), alongside executing targeted foreign exchange relief and sweeping import duty exemptions on raw industrial solvents.
“Number one is the issue of importation of drugs into this country. How do we do that? By investment,” Dr. Ukwu concluded. “When investors see that manufacturers are meeting world standards, they will put their money into the industry, and this will boost the production of pharmaceutical products in Nigeria. The success of these initiatives depends on consistent policy, improved regulatory efficiency, and continued investment to transition to full-scale, sustainable manufacturing.”
By: Manoah Kikekon
|
| Dr. Henrietta Ukwu |
ILORIN, NIGERIA – Renowned global biopharmaceutical executive, Dr. Henrietta Ukwu, has issued a fierce wake-up call to Nigeria's political and industrial leadership, labeling the nation's 70 percent reliance on foreign-manufactured medicines as both "worrisome and unfortunate."
Delivering a compelling keynote address at the 29th Annual National Conference of the Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria (NAIP) in Ilorin, Kwara State, Dr. Ukwu challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration to aggressively ramp up support for local drug manufacturing as a matter of urgent national health security and sovereignty.
Speaking on the theme, “Nigeria’s Pharmaceutical Industry as a Pillar of National Health, Wealth, and Security,” Dr. Ukwu stressed that true national sovereignty is impossible when a country relies almost entirely on foreign powers for vital medicines, vaccines, and basic medical supplies.
“Health is Wealth,” Dr. Ukwu emphasized passionately. “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.”
Her position was strongly reinforced by the National Chairman of NAIP, Bankole Ezebuilo, who issued a stark warning to stakeholders. He noted that surviving sustainably while outsourcing foundational healthcare is mathematically impossible, urging the local industry to abandon fragmented efforts in favor of a cohesive, innovation-driven network.
“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,” Ezebuilo declared, pointing out the extreme dangers of a 70 percent import dependency margin. “No nation can outsource its health security, and no sector can thrive in isolation. Doing more of the same will not take us where we need to go.”
While acknowledging the structural headwinds plaguing the sector, Dr. Ukwu lauded President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), which boldly targets a reversal of the current trends aiming for 70 percent local manufacturing capacity by 2030.
However, she was quick to clarify that achieving true pharmaceutical self-reliance requires a complete departure from simple packaging or cosmetic "fill-and-finish" assembly lines. Instead, she called for aggressive, partnership-driven funding targeted at localizing the production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and advanced medical formulations.
To prove that a domestic manufacturing revolution is already feasible, Dr. Ukwu highlighted several groundbreaking industrial milestones currently underway across the country:
The Fidson-IFC Pact: A strategic alliance with the International Finance Corporation to build dedicated local API production infrastructure.
The Emzor API Hub: The nearing completion of Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited's state-of-the-art API facility in Sagamu, Ogun State, structurally designed to pioneer regional anti-malarial ingredient production.
Cross-Border Frameworks: Technical cooperation agreements like the European Union-backed ELMiN initiative, France's Qualimed Project, and bilateral industrial pacts with Brazil.
Regulatory Driving Forces: The aggressive implementation of NAFDAC’s "5+5 Policy," which directly penalizes lazy import models and forces major pharmaceutical companies to establish domestic manufacturing plants.
Despite the industry's clear momentum, Dr. Ukwu warned that Nigeria's high-flying 2030 local manufacturing goals will stall without immediate, systemic interventions from the state. Chief among these barriers is the brutal lack of long-term capital, with barely 10 percent of local pharmaceutical firms currently able to secure affordable financing.
To bridge this financial gap, she urged the presidency to actively mobilize strategic funding through the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and the European Investment Bank (EIB), alongside executing targeted foreign exchange relief and sweeping import duty exemptions on raw industrial solvents.
“Number one is the issue of importation of drugs into this country. How do we do that? By investment,” Dr. Ukwu concluded. “When investors see that manufacturers are meeting world standards, they will put their money into the industry, and this will boost the production of pharmaceutical products in Nigeria. The success of these initiatives depends on consistent policy, improved regulatory efficiency, and continued investment to transition to full-scale, sustainable manufacturing.”
