The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has called for stronger collaboration between Nigeria’s pharmaceutical manufacturers and universities to accelerate the development of homegrown medicines and vaccines.
NAFDAC’s Director-General, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, made this call in a statement released by the agency’s media consultant, Mr. Olusayo Akintola, in Abuja on Sunday.
Speaking at the 38th Prof. Victor Olufemi Marquis Memorial Lecture, hosted by the Faculty of Pharmacy at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, Prof. Adeyeye highlighted the urgent need for academia and the pharmaceutical industry to work together to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported medical products.
She commended President Bola Tinubu’s recent directive banning the importation of products that are readily available locally, describing it as a significant move toward industrial growth.
Prof. Adeyeye urged universities to forge partnerships with pharmaceutical companies in research and development (R&D), emphasizing that such synergies are essential for meeting Nigeria’s unique healthcare challenges. She noted that universities are well-positioned to drive innovation, transfer knowledge, and build the technical capacity needed for a resilient pharmaceutical sector.
Such collaborations, she added, could stimulate the local economy, create jobs, and significantly increase Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Highlighting NAFDAC’s “Five Plus Five” Regulatory Directive, Prof. Adeyeye explained that the policy mandates that pharmaceutical products currently imported—when also available locally—must transition to local manufacturing within five years. “This initiative has already resulted in the establishment or revitalization of 30 percent of Nigeria’s local pharmaceutical companies,” she said.
She concluded by underscoring the importance of local innovation, especially in light of lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. To strengthen local R&D capacity, she announced that NAFDAC is planning a pilot collaboration programme involving Nigerian universities and pharmaceutical manufacturers.