Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Professor Muhammad Pate has announced a $5.5billion private sector capital support to Nigeria’s health sector.
The minister also said the country sealed a partnership deal with Empower School of Health Geneva that will cause the establishment of Africa’s foremost pharmaceutical manufacturing training institute – Empower Academy Nigeria – expected to train 2,000 Nigerian professionals annually.
Professor Pate announced this on his X handle, Sunday, noting that the investment was achieved under the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government.
He said the Academy would address a significant gap, adding that a workforce shortfall of between 5,000 to 7,000 skilled professionals in areas such as advanced manufacturing, regulatory affairs, and quality assurance.
“Under the innovative leadership of H.E. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, Nigeria has advanced 22 new large-scale health sector manufacturing projects funded by $5.5bn in private sector capital, but as these new investments come into our country, our focus on cultivating a world-class pharmaceutical manufacturing workforce in-country has sharpened.00 / 0:00
“Against the backdrop of Nigeria recently securing €1bn from the European Investment Bank and an additional $1bn from AfreximBank to incentivise health sector value chain localisation, we have signed an agreement with Empower School of Health, Geneva, that will see to the establishment of Africa’s foremost pharmaceutical manufacturing training institute, Empower Academy Nigeria.
“Functioned to accommodate knowledge transfer in support of the local production of pharmaceutical excipients, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and advanced dosage forms such as inhalers, extended-release medications, and dermatological patches, Empower Academy Nigeria will advance best practice in process engineering, regulatory compliance, quality control, environmental monitoring, and other important fields,” the minister wrote on his X handle.
According to Pate, the Academy, supported by cutting-edge equipment and world-class facilities, will offer certification courses in partnership with the Africa CDC, the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, and the International Federation of Pharmacists, amongst others.
“I am pleased to inform you that under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria has taken a giant step forward in its effort to localise the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and medical devices in our country for the benefit of our people, our economy, and our region at large,” the minister said.
…Further gains
On the importance of the initiative, he explained that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) would lay the foundation for a skilled workforce that would support Nigeria’s growing healthcare manufacturing sector.
The initiative, he further said, “aims to increase Nigeria’s local manufacturing of pharmaceuticals to at least 70 percent of domestic consumption by 2030, while also boosting vaccine production, establishing multiple new plants for biologicals and diagnostics, and doubling Nigeria’s pharmaceutical market share in Africa to 15 percent.”
“With over 70 new healthcare manufacturing companies partnering on 22 large-scale projects presently in negotiations, and with incredible support from Ministers such as Jumoke Oduwole and Doris Anite, we have now corrected the missing link, a platform in Nigeria for developing our healthcare manufacturing workforce,” he added.
He also said the training at the Empower Academy Nigeria would dwell first on qualitative drug production before expanding to advanced pharmaceutical production areas such as excipients, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), inhalers, and dermatological patches.
While reiterating the government’s commitment to equitable development across the country, he said: “Naturally, with much of the present pharmaceuticals manufacturing ecosystem located in Lagos and Ogun states, Empower Academy will be sited in strategic locations to ensure balanced regional development.”
Besides, he said the Academy would also offer certification courses in collaboration with global bodies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), Africa Centers for Disease Control (Africa CDC), and the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), conducted by highly experienced trainers.
The minister, however, acknowledged that the historic development would not have been possible without the critical work of the Presidential Initiative to Unlock the Healthcare Value Chain (PIVAC), established by President Tinubu in November 2023.
Pate said: “This is a Nigerian renaissance in full motion and in real time. Today, we are providing a platform that opens the doors for tens of thousands of new and existing professionals to grow their capacity for the benefit of all our citizens, our continent, and for the world.”