The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) says Nigeria’s health system faces serious threats from the mass migration of pharmacists, weak regulation, medicine insecurity, and rising substance abuse, and is calling for sweeping reforms to pharmacy practice.
Speaking at the ACPN 45th Annual National Scientific Conference held July 27 to August 1, 2026, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, National Chairman Pharm. Ezeh Ambrose Igwekamma said about 9,000 pharmacists left the country between 2021 and December 2025. Another 850 obtained letters of good standing in the first half of 2026 to relocate to Canada, UK, US and Australia.
Under the theme _“UNITY 2026: From Local Pharmacy Practice to Global Impact – Managing Complex Healthcare Systems,”_ the conference hosted SGF Senator George Akume, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, Minister Dr. Bernard Doro, Governor Mohammed Bago, PSN President Pharm. Ayuba Tanko Ibrahim, and heads of NAFDAC, NPHCDA and NHIA. Keynote speaker Pharm. Wale Oyenuga proposed a 5-pillar agenda: a unified national vision, quality standards, digital-first data, integration of community pharmacists into PHC, and inclusion in NHIA financing.
Stakeholders agreed community pharmacies must be fully integrated into primary healthcare and insurance. NAFDAC urged pharmacists to leverage Greenbook, Med Safety App and Scan2Verify to protect the drug supply chain. NPHCDA and NHIA backed expanded roles and reimbursement for community pharmacists under UHC.
To stem the crisis, ACPN proposed amendments to the Fake Drug Act with 20-year jail terms for first offenders and life imprisonment plus asset forfeiture for repeat offenders, plus a Drug Management Agency, National Postgraduate College of Pharmacy, and a Presidential Committee on the Pharmaceutical Sector. The association also cited UNODC data showing 21.2 million Nigerians abuse drugs, and called for higher taxes on tobacco and alcohol, modern rehab centers, and stronger enforcement by NDLEA, PCN and NAFDAC.
