Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, are expected to lead top government officials, policymakers and key industry stakeholders to the 8th Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers Expo (NPME 2026), as Nigeria intensifies efforts to strengthen local pharmaceutical production and achieve greater health sovereignty.
The two-day exhibition, scheduled for September 28 and 29, 2026, at Harbour Point, Victoria Island, Lagos, will focus on strategies for reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported medicines, promoting domestic manufacturing and positioning the country as a major pharmaceutical production hub in Africa.
The expo, organised by the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN) in partnership with GPE Expo Pvt. Ltd., will be held alongside the Nigeria Lab Expo under the theme, “Regional Manufacturing: Advancing Africa’s Pharma & Lifescience Sovereignty through Localization.”
Other dignitaries expected at the event include the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Senator John Owan Enoh; Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako; Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Moji Christianah Adeyeye; Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), Pharm. Ibrahim Babashehu Ahmed; the Special Adviser to the President on Health and the Director-General of the African Medicines Agency (AMA), among other senior officials.
The expo is expected to attract healthcare investors, pharmaceutical manufacturers, policymakers, regulatory authorities, technology providers, cleanroom specialists and industrial machinery manufacturers from across five continents.
Speaking at a media briefing in Lagos, Chairman of the NPME Committee, Pharm. Patrick Ajah, who represented the Chief Host, Oluwatosin Jolayemi, said the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector was targeting 70 per cent local production of medicines.
Ajah said the expo would provide a strategic platform for attracting foreign direct investment, facilitating technical partnerships, promoting local sourcing of raw materials and strengthening the capacity of Nigerian pharmaceutical manufacturers.
More than 200 companies are expected to exhibit at the event, while nearly 10,000 healthcare professionals, regulatory experts, manufacturers and equipment providers are projected to attend.
According to Ajah, the outcomes of the expo are expected to contribute to the development of a policy framework capable of supporting reforms in pharmaceutical regulation, financing, manufacturing and supply chains across Nigeria and the wider African continent.
He said the initiative aligns with the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), which seeks to reposition Nigeria’s healthcare sector from heavy dependence on imports towards commercialisation, local manufacturing, technology transfer and stronger domestic value chains.
The drive for increased local production comes amid a significant reduction in Nigeria’s dependence on imported finished pharmaceutical products.
The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of PMG-MAN, Pharm. Frank Muonemeh, said official NAFDAC data showed that imports of finished pharmaceutical products had declined from 4.03 billion units to 1.13 billion units as of 2025.
Muonemeh said the development had helped bring the ratio of imported to locally produced essential medicines to approximately 50:50, describing the trend as evidence that Nigerian manufacturers possess the technical capacity to meet a substantial proportion of domestic demand when supported by an enabling business environment.
He also highlighted improvements in Nigeria’s regulatory environment, noting that NAFDAC had attained World Health Organisation Maturity Level 3 and was working towards Level 4.
According to him, the regulatory improvements have created conditions that have enabled some Nigerian manufacturers to obtain WHO prequalification and undertake contract manufacturing for international brands.
Muonemeh, however, warned that Nigeria’s continued dependence on imported medicines remained a major threat to national health security, particularly during global health emergencies, geopolitical conflicts, border closures and disruptions to international supply chains.
He stressed that developing a resilient domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing ecosystem should no longer be viewed solely as an economic objective but as an essential component of Nigeria’s public health security and national sovereignty.
Despite the progress recorded, Muonemeh identified high energy costs, limited access to long-term financing, regulatory bottlenecks, shortages of technical manpower caused partly by the “Japa” phenomenon and inconsistent public procurement policies as major challenges facing local manufacturers.
He disclosed that pharmaceutical manufacturers currently spend more than 40 per cent of their income on electricity and alternative power generation, compared with less than 10 per cent reportedly spent by competitors in manufacturing hubs such as China and India.
He therefore called for targeted government intervention, including dedicated industrial energy tariffs, to enable Nigerian pharmaceutical manufacturers to compete more effectively in the global market.
The Executive Director of Drugfield Pharma Ltd, Pharm. Olusola Akande, also called for broader incentives for local pharmaceutical manufacturing, particularly in the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and specialised excipients.
Akande said existing interventions, including the Presidential Executive Order, currently cover only about five per cent of the APIs and specialised excipients required by local manufacturers.
He urged the Federal Government to expand tax exemptions and other incentives for the local production of pharmaceutical raw materials, arguing that such measures would boost manufacturing capacity, reduce production costs and ultimately improve medicine affordability for Nigerians.
PMG-MAN also appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to extend the Presidential Executive Order from its current two-year duration to five years, saying a longer policy window would provide manufacturers with the certainty needed to undertake sustained capital investments and industrial expansion.
Muonemeh described the 8th Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers Expo as a strategic platform for transforming Africa’s pharmaceutical and life sciences industry through technology transfer, contract manufacturing agreements, market access and local pharmaceutical synthesis.
He said the expo would differ from conventional trade fairs by giving priority to manufacturers and technologies capable of directly supporting local production rather than providing a marketplace for imported finished medicines.
According to him, foreign exhibitors would mainly comprise companies providing pharmaceutical machinery, analytical instruments, production materials and other technologies that are either unavailable or insufficiently produced locally.
This, he said, would ensure that international participation contributes directly to strengthening Nigeria’s domestic manufacturing capacity.
Ajah similarly stressed the importance of indigenous pharmaceutical production, saying recent global health emergencies had demonstrated the risks faced by countries that rely heavily on foreign suppliers for essential medicines.
He assured that Nigerian pharmaceutical manufacturers remained committed to global Good Manufacturing Practice standards, with quality control, quality assurance and supply management systems in place to ensure compliance.
He also warned that manufacturers and distributors involved in counterfeit or substandard medicines would face regulatory and law enforcement action.
Ajah further highlighted PMG-MAN’s 43-year history of advocacy for pharmaceutical manufacturing in Nigeria, noting that the organisation had grown from 20 pioneer members at its establishment in 1983 to more than 200 companies.
He said the sector’s growth had contributed to employment generation, tax revenue and a gradual reduction in Nigeria’s dependence on imported medicines, stressing that achieving the 70 per cent local production target remained critical to the country’s health security and industrial development.
The organisers have consequently invited global healthcare investors, biotechnology companies, venture capitalists, raw material suppliers, equipment manufacturers, development finance institutions and African policymakers to participate in the Lagos expo.
PMG-MAN said the event would create opportunities for cross-border partnerships, investment, technology acquisition and market expansion while supporting greater integration of Africa’s pharmaceutical industry under the African Continental Free Trade Area and the African Medicines Agency framework.
With the expected participation of senior officials from the health and industry sectors, the organisers said the formal opening of NPME 2026 would reinforce the Federal Government’s commitment to building a stronger domestic pharmaceutical industry and positioning Nigeria as a leading healthcare manufacturing hub in Africa.
