FG targets 70% local drug production by 2030, secures $2 billion for pharma manufacturers

The federal government has restated its commitment to achieve pharmaceutical sovereignty, with a target of producing at least 70% of essential healthcare products locally by 2030.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, stated this Tuesday while declaring open the 8th Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers Expo (NPME), in Lagos.

Dr Salako said the era of Nigeria depending on importation for its medicine needs must end, especially after lessons from COVID-19 vaccine nationalism and recent disruptions caused by the United States foreign aid embargo.

“The conversation about Nigeria and Africa’s health future has moved beyond access to medicines to a more fundamental question: Can Nigeria produce, at scale and competitively, the medicines, vaccines and diagnostics that Nigerians need?” he asked.

The minister who was Special Guest of Honour at the expo, organised by the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN), said the theme of this year’s expo  “Regional Manufacturing: Advancing Africa’s Pharma and Life-Science Sovereignty through Localization”,  aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda and the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

He stated that localisation must go beyond packaging imported Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) in Nigeria, to building full value chain capacity in research, API production, formulation, quality assurance and distribution, including biologics and vaccines.

Dr Salako highlighted government interventions, that Presidential Initiative to Unlock Healthcare Value Chains (PVAC) has secured $2 billion in commitments at single-digit interest rates with 20-25 year tenor, with about 50 Nigerian health firms already in advanced funding discussions.

He said the Presidential Executive Order for zero tariff on pharmaceutical machinery, APIs is already benefiting 87 local manufacturers across almost 1,000 Harmonized System codes.

 He added that NAFDAC data shows finished pharmaceutical imports have declined from 4.03 billion units to 1.13 billion units as of 2025, while the number of active local pharma companies has grown from less than 180 in 2021 to over 200.

He stated that two Nigerian products have attained WHO prequalification , the first in West and Central Africa,  while local production of HIV, Hepatitis and Syphilis Rapid Diagnostic Test kits through partnerships with Codix, Abbott and Afrimedical is on track to end 99% diagnostic imports.

Dr Salako urged manufacturers to leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to access the 1.5 billion African population instead of seeing African countries as small, fragmented markets.