The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN) has called on the Federal Government; on the need to make the sector competetive and investment friendly, by creating an enabling pharma & lifescience manufacturing ecosystem strengthen with policies that are forward looking. This will drive ̌sustained investment that will boost local drug production and help achieve medicine security in Nigeria.
The group made the call at a media briefing in Lagos ahead of the 8th Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers’ Expo (NPME 2026), scheduled for September 28 and 29 at Harbour Point, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The Chairman of PMG-MAN and Managing Director/CEO of Daily-Need Industries Limited, Mr. Oluwatosin Jolayemi, who was represented by the Chairman of the Exhibition Planning Committee and Managing Director/CEO of May & Baker Nigeria Plc, Dr. Patrick Ajah, reaffirmed the industry’s ambition to achieve 70 percent local drug production.
Ajah said the sector, which has grown from 20 pioneer members in 1983 to more than 200 manufacturing companies, remains committed to reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported medicines.
He noted that the expo, themed “Regional Manufacturing: Advancing Africa’s Pharma and Life Science Sovereignty through Localisation,” would bring together manufacturers, policymakers, investors, technology providers and other stakeholders to discuss the essentials of local pharmaceutical production.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of PMG-MAN, Pharm. Frank Muonemeh, said Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry has recorded a significant milestones in the last few years- a paradign shift towards local manufacturing, citing a reduction in imported finished pharmaceuticals from 4.03 billion units to 1.13 billion units as of 2025 according to NAFDAC data.
Muonemeh, however, said high energy costs & delayed clearance of pharma inputs remain a major threat to the competitiveness of local manufacturers, with companies spending more than 40 percent of their revenue on electricity and alternative power generation, compared with less than 10 percent among competitors in countries such as China and India.
He urged the government to introduce targeted interventions, including dedicated industrial energy tariffs, while strengthening policies that encourage local production of APIs and other pharmaceutical inputs.
PMG-MAN also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to extend the Presidential Executive Order supporting the pharmaceutical sector from its current two-year cycle to a five-year framework, arguing that longer policy stability would attract investment and consolidate gains in local production.
The group said the upcoming expo would focus on discussions that resonates with technology transfer, regulatory harmonisation, Market access’ contract manufacturing, joint ventures and cross-border market integration, with more than 200 exhibitors and nearly 10,000 industry professionals expected to participate.
The event is expected to provide a platform for strengthening Nigeria’s pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity and advancing medicine security across Africa.
