•Director General, NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye
The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has expressed its commitment to promote local pharmaceutical manufacturing in Nigeria to strengthen national drug security through market-friendly, innovation-driven policies.
Meanwhile, the agency has signed a treaty with African Medicines Agency (AMA) to further strengthen the regulatory system within the continent, and Nigeria in particular, reports The Guardian.
Speaking at a One-Day Stakeholders’ Engagement on NAFDAC’s Regulatory Transformative Journey and Commitment to the African Medicines Agency (AMA) in Abuja, Director General of the agency, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye noted that the focus of the present administration is to increase local manufacturing and reduce imported drugs and called on stakeholders to continue to collaborate and cooperate with NAFDAC in the implementation of policies and regulatory directives on local manufacturing.
Adeyeye observed that the agency is decreasing substandard falsified medicines to boost medicine security and health security in the country.
She said, “We are making people to think that medicines you are supplying or the money you are getting from bad medicine and you are using it to feed your family is blood money. It will take a while to resonate. It’s already reducing, but it’s not going to happen overnight.So we have to be patient, we have to be vigilant. Don’t buy medicines from a store that you don’t know where they came from, buy medicines from pharmacies and get your receipts. The manufacturers are now better sensitised that they cannot just take their medicines to open market because we will be coming after the open market So in terms of change, the manufacturers are already changing”.
Adeyeye noted that the agency is also investing in the workforce to ensure that they are motivated and disciplined while discharging their responsibilities
“You invest in the workforce and discipline the workforce at the same time because without a strong motivated workforce, you cannot get anything done. So I made it my priority to make sure that to some extent, our workforce is well-motivated and disciplined at the same time.They used to get what is called 13th month allowance. They said that sometimes it may be divided into four times, three times, or three portions. My first year, they got their 13th month. But also they know that it is a tough love, we have suspended and dismissed some staff because the lives of our people lie in our hands as regulators”.
Adeyeye said that the programme was all about showing the strength of NAFDAC to the public and what makes the agency to what it is at the moment.
According to her, the agency will work with AMA to further strengthen the system to curb the movement of substandard and falsified food and drugs within the Africa sub-region.
Adeyeye said that the signing of the treaty shows solidarity and to also strengthen trade collaboration within African countries.
“If a country doesn’t have a manufacturing facility, what is going to happen? They can come to another country that has manufacturing facility to buy or to do contract manufacturing with such a country, they do not have to be burdened by the fact that they don’t have capacity.
“We are working together as a continent to make sure that we harmonise and ensure African standard, not Nigerian standard but international standard,” Adeyeye said.
In her speech, Director-General of AMA Dr Mimi Darko, said that the organisation has the backing and support of African Union (AU), adding that with Nigeria coming together with AMA, the regulation of substandard drugs would be further strengthened.
She commended Nigeria government on what it is doing to curb substandard, while employing it to bring such strength into AMA for the betterment of the continent.
“With Nigeria joining strength with AMA, we believe we will witness better administration, we will achieve our goals. Nigeria is a strong ally in the Africa continent,”Darko stressed
Also speaking, the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to Nigeria, Dr Pavel Ursu observed that a strong regulatory system is built on strong science, adding that NAFDAC has demonstrated this through significant investment in laboratory capacity and quality management system.
He stated that NAFDAC”s Central Drug Control Laboratory has achieved WHO pre-qualification status, placing it among globally recognized quality control laboratories while five of NAVDAC’s seven laboratories have attained the respective ISO accreditation, confirming technical competence in testing medicine, vaccines, and other regulated products.
Ursu observed that NAFDAC itself operates under the quality management system standards and these achievements collectively strengthen Nigeria’s capacity for quality assurance, supporting local manufacturing, and enhancing global confidence in Nigeria’s regulated products.
He said, “The impact of this achievement has translated into tangible public health impact and the agency has scaled up post-market surveillance and enforcement actions leading to an increased detection and removal of substandard and falsified medical products. “While strengthening supply chain integrity nationwide.So, we as WHO are extremely proud, we as the Secretariat are very proud to have supported this journey in Nigeria”.
In her remarks , the Permanent Secretary, in the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollum, represented by Mrs. Olufowobi-Yusuf Adeola Director of the Food and Drugs Services Department, stressed the need to ensure that quality, efficacy and safety remain the hallmarks of regulated products in the country in order to protect the health of every Nigerian, while enabling sustainable growth in our health, pharmaceutical and food sectors.
She said, health and progress are inseparable. A nation cannot truly advance unless its people are healthy. We must build a system that not only safeguards, but also empowers. Empowering citizens with trust, empowering business with opportunity, and empowering the nation with progress, rooted in health security”.
