‘Nigeria produces only 40% of drugs needed’

A former Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), Prof. Ahmed Tijjani Mora, has expressed concern over Nigeria’s low level of local pharmaceutical production, warning that the country currently meets only about 40 per cent of its drug requirements locally. Mora made the remark in Kaduna during the public presentation […]

A former Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), Prof. Ahmed Tijjani Mora, has expressed concern over Nigeria’s low level of local pharmaceutical production, warning that the country currently meets only about 40 per cent of its drug requirements locally.
Mora made the remark in Kaduna during the public presentation of a book titled “Professor Ahmed Tijjani Mora: A Pillar of Pharmacy Regulation in Nigeria”, held as part of activities to mark his 70th birthday.
He said the heavy dependence on imported medicines remains a major threat to national health security and urged stronger investment in local drug manufacturing to reverse the trend.
He said about 60 per cent of medicines consumed in Nigeria are still imported, a situation he said must change through deliberate policies and sustained support for local producers.
“What we are doing wrong is placing too much emphasis on importation. The focus now is to accelerate local production. By 2030, we want to produce about 70 per cent of pharmaceutical products consumed in Nigeria, and it is achievable,” he said.
Mora noted that Nigeria has the capacity to become a pharmaceutical hub in West Africa if existing incentives such as tax waivers, regulatory support, and procurement preferences for local manufacturers are fully maximised.