Nigeria secures $5.5bn investment to train 2,000 pharmaceutical professionals annually

Nigeria has secured $5.5 billion in private sector investment to boost local pharmaceutical manufacturing and develop a highly skilled workforce.

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Muhammad Pate, the coordinating minister of health and social welfare, disclosed this on Sunday via his official X handle.

As part of the initiative, Nigeria signed an agreement with the Empower School of Health, Geneva, to establish “Empower Academy Nigeria,” a pharmaceutical manufacturing training institute designed to equip up to 2,000 Nigerian professionals annually with world-class skills.

Mr Pate said the academy would focus on areas such as process engineering, regulatory compliance, quality control, environmental monitoring, and the production of pharmaceutical excipients, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and advanced dosage forms like inhalers and dermatological patches.

Certification courses will be offered in partnership with international organisations, including the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), and the International Federation of Pharmacists.

Supporting healthcare localisation

Mr Pate said the $5.5 billion investment forms part of broader efforts under the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), launched in October 2023, to catalyse private-sector participation in the health sector.

PVAC recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Empower School of Health (Empower Swiss), Geneva, to establish a Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Training Academy in Nigeria.

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According to the Minister, Nigeria is advancing 22 new large-scale health sector manufacturing projects, backed by the fresh capital inflow.

The country has also recently secured €1 billion from the European Investment Bank and an additional $1 billion from AfreximBank to incentivise the localisation of health sector production.

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Through these initiatives, Nigeria aims to meet the target of producing 70 per cent of its pharmaceuticals locally by 2030 and 60 per cent of its vaccines by 2which is 040, in line with the Africa CDC’s vision for the continent.

Mr Pate said Empower Academy Nigeria, supported by cutting-edge facilities, will play a role in preparing a new generation of skilled pharmaceutical professionals to drive the country’s healthcare transformation.

“Empower Academy Nigeria will advance bestpracticese in process engineering, regulatory compliance, quality control, environmental monitoring, and other important fields,” he said.