Nigeria Imports 70% Of Its Medicines – Why Local Manufacturing Doesn’t Meet Demand
BY EFEFIOM KOFON SOAS, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON Nigeria imports at least 70% of its medicines . This is striking for a country of over 230 million people and at least 120 active pharmaceutical manufacturers . Domestic manufacturing is largely concentrated in lower-end medicines that require relatively simple production processes. The more complex and higher-value pharmaceutical products continue to be imported. This pattern has persisted for decades. It reflects two things. First is the limited impact of policies aimed at reducing import dependence. The other is the entrenched interests across pharmaceutical companies. An incentive structure that favours imports over local production. I recently completed my doctorate studies focusing on the political economy of pharmaceutical manufacturing in Nigeria, with comparisons to Uganda, Bangladesh and India. My research looked at how the industry had evolved and analysed how the distribution of organisational power and manufacturing capabilit...
