The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, PMG-MAN, is calling on the Federal Government to build an enabling pharma and life sciences ecosystem that makes local drug production competitive. At a media briefing in Lagos ahead of the 8th Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers’ Expo, NPME 2026, the group said forward-looking policies are needed to attract sustained investment and achieve medicine security in Nigeria.
Speaking for PMG-MAN Chairman, Mr. Oluwatosin Jolayemi, Dr. Patrick Ajah, Chairman of the Exhibition Planning Committee and MD/CEO of May & Baker Nigeria Plc, said the industry is targeting 70 percent local production. Ajah noted the sector has expanded from 20 companies in 1983 to over 200 manufacturers today. PMG-MAN Executive Secretary, Pharm. Frank Muonemeh, added that imports of finished medicines have dropped from 4.03 billion units to 1.13 billion units as of 2025, based on NAFDAC data. He however flagged high energy costs and delays in clearing pharma inputs as key challenges, with Nigerian firms spending over 40 percent of revenue on power, compared to under 10 percent in countries like China and India.
To address this, Muonemeh urged the government to introduce dedicated industrial energy tariffs and strengthen policies for local API production. PMG-MAN also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to extend the Presidential Executive Order on pharmaceuticals from two years to five years to give investors policy certainty. NPME 2026, themed “Regional Manufacturing: Advancing Africa’s Pharma and Life Science Sovereignty through Localisation,” holds September 28–29 at Harbour Point, Victoria Island, Lagos. Organisers expect more than 200 exhibitors and nearly 10,000 participants to discuss technology transfer, regulatory harmonisation, contract manufacturing and cross-border market integration.
