Nigeria’s dependence on imported ingredients to produce medicines could threaten the country’s medicine security, particularly during global supply disruptions.

This was a major concern raised by stakeholders at a meeting on “Accelerating the shift to domestic active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) production for priority essential medicines in Nigeria,” organised by Nigeria Health Watch in partnership with the World Bank Group in Abuja on Friday.

Speaking at the meeting, Olumide Okunola of the World Bank Group said Nigerian pharmaceutical manufacturers rely heavily on imported APIs, leaving the country vulnerable to disruptions in international supply chains.

APIs are the substances in medicines that produce their intended therapeutic effects. Although Nigeria has pharmaceutical companies that manufacture finished medicines, many depend on imported APIs and other raw materials to produce them.

Mr Okunola said the dependence exposes local manufacturers to international supply-chain disruptions, trade restrictions and price volatility, potentially affecting the availability and affordability of essential medicines.

He cited the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of how disruptions to global supply chains can expose countries that depend heavily on imported medicines and pharmaceutical inputs.

He said Nigeria did not need to produce every pharmaceutical ingredient locally, but should identify essential APIs that could feasibly be manufactured in the country to guarantee a minimum level of domestic supply.

Mr Okunola also identified inadequate infrastructure, unreliable electricity, limited access to finance and regulatory bottlenecks as constraints to local pharmaceutical production.

He said Nigeria could build on its existing industrial and petrochemical capacity to develop domestic production of selected pharmaceutical ingredients.

He urged policymakers to align health and industrial policies, prioritise APIs used in essential medicines and create an environment that encourages private investment in local manufacturing.

Medicine, health security

Also speaking, Chris Isokpunwu, permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, said Nigeria’s dependence on external sources for critical pharmaceutical inputs undermines its ability to guarantee sustainable health security.

“Nigeria cannot achieve sustainable health security while remaining heavily dependent on external sources for critical pharmaceutical inputs,” he said.

Mr Isokpunwu said domestic production of pharmaceutical ingredients should be treated not only as a health-sector priority but also as an economic and industrial development opportunity.

He said local production could strengthen the resilience of medicine supply chains, reduce exposure to international disruptions and foreign exchange pressures, create skilled jobs and retain more economic value within the country.

However, he cautioned against pursuing local production without considering quality, efficiency and affordability.

“We must, however, be careful not to pursue local production at any cost,” he said.

“Our objective must be to produce efficiently, meet internationally recognised quality standards, compete on price and reliability, and progressively integrate into regional and global pharmaceutical value chains.”

He called for a practical roadmap identifying priority APIs, investment requirements, infrastructure needs, incentives, regulatory measures and the institutions responsible for implementation.

Mr Isokpunwu also said the African Continental Free Trade Area could give Nigerian manufacturers opportunities to expand into regional markets and contribute to pharmaceutical value chains across Africa.

Government initiatives

Speaking at the meeting, the National Coordinator of the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), Abdu Mukhtar, said the initiative was working with local pharmaceutical manufacturers to identify and prioritise APIs based on Nigeria’s public health needs.

Mr Mukhtar, who was represented by Zara Abba-Aji, said the initiative was also working with the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority on excipient manufacturing and exploring ways to improve access to capital and technical expertise for local production.

He said PVAC was engaging a local manufacturer to facilitate access to European Investment Bank financing and technical support, including technology transfer, to strengthen domestic manufacturing capacity.

He also highlighted the initiative’s pooled procurement platform, MediPool, which he said was designed to stimulate demand for locally manufactured medicines.

Mr Mukhtar said efforts to strengthen local production must go beyond manufacturing capacity to address affordability, access to finance, workforce development and demand for locally produced medicines.

Earlier, Vivianne Ihekweazu, managing director of Nigeria Health Watch, said the availability of affordable and quality medicines was central to improving healthcare outcomes and strengthening the country’s health system.

Mrs Ihekweazu said the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the risks of relying heavily on external supply chains for essential medicines and other health products.

She also expressed concern about the slow progress in implementing the federal government’s executive order to increase local production of healthcare products.

She said the convening was intended to bring government, manufacturers, investors and development partners together to identify the policy, regulatory and investment barriers preventing Nigeria from developing a sustainable domestic pharmaceutical ingredients industry.

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Efforts to strengthen local production

The concerns come as the federal government intensifies efforts to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported medicines and strengthen domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing.

In September, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the federal government was targeting at least 70 per cent local production of essential healthcare products by 2030.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, said about 87 local manufacturers were benefiting from incentives under a presidential executive order granting tariff relief on pharmaceutical machinery, active pharmaceutical ingredients and excipients.

The government also said it had secured about $2 billion in financing commitments to support local healthcare manufacturing, with approximately 50 Nigerian health companies in advanced discussions for funding.

Breast cancer survivors face challenges beyond treatment – News Agency of Nigeria

By Hafsah Tilde, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
When Gloria Orji-Nwajiogu discovered a lump in her breast in 2009, it was removed and she was told it was benign.
A second lump was removed in 2010, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Eight years later, in 2018, she received a second diagnosis.
Today, Orji-Nwajiogu, co-founder of the Network of People Impacted by Cancer in Nigeria (NePiCiN), draws on her experience of surviving the disease twice to support others affected by cancer.
She said the support she received from her family helped her speak openly about her diagnosis and the challenges she faced.
“I was free to tell my story. I was free to confide in people. I was free to, you know, talk to people about my journey because there’s nobody holding me back,” she said.
She added that her family’s acceptance meant she did not have to hide her experience.
“I realised that the more I talk, the more people love the fact that I was talking,” she said.
Orji-Nwajiogu began her advocacy work in 2015 through Project PINK BLUE, participating in cancer awareness outreach activities.
As she became more involved, she heard accounts of women who faced rejection and abandonment after a cancer diagnosis.
“Women don’t always get support from families. In fact, when I started, I went deep into advocacy and I started hearing stories of women whose husbands left because they had cancer, women whose husbands abandoned them at the hospital,” she said.
She also recounted cases in which some religious leaders blamed women for their illness, compounding their distress.
For Orji-Nwajiogu, faith should go hand in hand with medical care.
“Pray and go to the hospital. That is my watchword,” she said.
Her experience highlights the need for support beyond medical treatment, especially for women facing financial hardship, emotional distress and rejection.
The scale of the challenge is reflected in Nigeria’s cancer statistics.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), through its Global Cancer Observatory, estimated that Nigeria recorded 32,278 new breast cancer cases among women in 2022.
The cases accounted for 40.5 per cent of all new cancer cases among women that year.
The disease was also the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Nigerian women, with an estimated 16,332 deaths.
More recent IARC estimates put Nigeria’s breast cancer burden at 44,196 new cases and 21,309 deaths in 2024, highlighting the continuing public health challenge.
Globally, breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says about 99 per cent of breast cancer cases occur in women, although men can also develop the disease.
In spite of the burden, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment can improve outcomes.
The WHO says treatment is more effective when started early and completed, making timely diagnosis and continued access to care essential.
However, patients may face financial and social barriers that interrupt treatment.
Alice Matawal, an oncology nurse and breast cancer survivor at Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), said the cost of care remained a major challenge for many patients.
She said some patients missed appointments or abandoned treatment because they could not afford it.
“As a nurse in the unit, many patients drop out. I look for them; some, before I get them, they come back when it is worse,” she said.
“When I try to find out, they tell me there was no money. And if I insist they must come, will I give them the money?” she asked.
Matawal said some patients were also discouraged from continuing hospital treatment by relatives or others who attributed cancer to spiritual causes or advised them against chemotherapy.
“They would tell her, it is not supposed to be something that you should take injection for. Or, this is spiritual,” she said.
These experiences point to the importance of reliable health information and family support in helping patients make informed decisions about treatment.
The financial burden is compounded by the wider cost of healthcare in Nigeria.
A 2025 review published in JCO Global Oncology identified treatment costs, limited access to diagnostic facilities and cultural, religious and socioeconomic barriers as major challenges to effective breast cancer screening and early diagnosis in the country.
Beyond treatment costs, Matawal said women who underwent mastectomy, the surgical removal of a breast, could struggle with their body image and confidence.
“Maybe they remove one breast, she’s ashamed to come out.
“Some lose hope and decide, ‘It is okay, it is over, let me just stay,” she said.
Drawing on her experience as both a nurse and a survivor, Matawal urged patients not to allow the physical and emotional effects of the disease to define their future.
“But if you are determined, you want to live, breast cancer cannot bring you down or decide the end of your life, no,” she said.
Prof. Khadijat Musah, Dean, Faculty of Nursing Sciences, Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa, said cancer care should recognise patients as individuals with different experiences and needs.
“We must show empathy, but we must also allow them to write their story, say their story,” she said.
Musah said survivors needed to be accepted back into their families and communities rather than being defined by their illness or physical changes following treatment.
“You allow them to come to the society, to be well integrated,” she said.
Her emphasis on social reintegration reflects the challenges highlighted by Matawal, who said some women became ashamed to appear in public after losing a breast.
Nurse Ann Joachim, an oncology nurse in training at the School of Post-Basic Oncology Nursing, National Hospital Abuja, said patients also needed reliable information and people they could approach for guidance and emotional support.
She said patients felt better supported when someone listened to their concerns and helped them navigate the health system to access appropriate cancer care.
“Another important point is we cannot take out psychosocial support for cancer patients,” she said.
Psychosocial support helps patients cope with anxiety, fear, changes in body image and difficulties in personal relationships.
It can also help families understand the needs of patients and provide appropriate support during and after treatment.
The WHO’s Global Breast Cancer Initiative identifies three priorities for reducing deaths from the disease by promoting early detection, ensuring timely diagnosis and providing comprehensive cancer management.
Launched in 2021, the initiative aims to reduce global breast cancer mortality by 2.5 per cent annually, potentially averting 2.5 million deaths by 2040.
The initiative underscores that effective cancer care requires more than diagnosis and surgery.
Patients may need chemotherapy, radiotherapy, rehabilitation, psychological support and follow-up care, depending on their individual circumstances.
Joachim stressed that a breast cancer diagnosis should not be regarded as the end of a person’s life.
“Detecting breast cancer is not the end of life. It’s not a death sentence.
“It means that there is hope. Once it is detected and treatment is commenced, it saves lives,” she said.
For Orji-Nwajiogu, the support that enabled her to speak openly about her experience has become part of her motivation to help others affected by cancer.
Reflecting on her advocacy, she said her experience had strengthened her commitment to supporting others.
“So even when for any reason I want to feel bad, I would tell myself, don’t give yourself a second chance at life. You can’t use it only for yourself. You have to use it for others,” she said.
Her journey from surviving two cancer diagnoses to supporting other patients underscores the importance of families, healthcare professionals and communities standing alongside women throughout treatment and beyond.
Overall, the experiences of survivors and healthcare professionals show that breast cancer care must extend beyond hospitals to include financial assistance, emotional support, family acceptance and social reintegration.
Such support can help survivors regain confidence, maintain social connections and rebuild their lives with dignity and hope. (NANFeatures)
Edited by Tosin Kolade
***If used, credit the writer and the News Agency of Nigeria.
(NAN)