We’re determined to break Nigeria’s dependency on imported medicines – Health Minister

Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, has announced the Federal Government’s commitment to reducing Nigeria’s reliance on imported pharmaceuticals, highlighting that 70 percent of medicines consumed in the country are currently sourced from abroad.

In a recent interview with Channels Television, Pate remarked, “For decades, Nigeria has been systematically de-industrialised. We were dependent on imports of the most basic things like generic pharmaceuticals, which we could have produced.” He emphasized that the administration of President Bola Tinubu is taking significant steps to address this issue through the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC).

“The President has initiated an effort to unlock the healthcare value chain, what we call PVAC, with policy reforms, the executive order to reduce the tariffs on raw materials and manufacturing equipment,” Pate explained.

Additionally, he introduced the Nigeria First policy, which aims to boost local content and encourage the public to support domestically manufactured drugs. “This policy will enhance our medical sector and foster growth in local manufacturing,” he stated.

Pate shared optimistic developments, mentioning that the government’s initiatives are attracting investor interest in the Nigerian pharmaceutical market. “Recently, we commissioned a manufacturing plant in Sagamu in Ogun state, and several others have now started setting up,” he noted, highlighting a facility in Abuja capable of producing 600 million test kits.

Reflecting on the progress made, he noted, “Two years ago, in all of Sub-Saharan Africa, there was no local manufacturer of rapid diagnostic kits. But now we do have local manufacturers, and that’s just the beginning.”

The minister asserted that the Tinubu administration is establishing a foundation for a medically industrialized Nigeria, underscoring the government’s resolve to transform the country’s healthcare landscape.

Source: Vanguard newspaper