Pharma West Africa 2025 Communique

Theme: Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain: The Journey So Far

The Pharma West Africa Conference 2025, held from March 18-20, 2025, brought together healthcare leaders, policymakers, regulators, pharmaceutical professionals, technology innovators, pharma manufacturers and suppliers, and other key stakeholders to discuss the status, challenges, and opportunities in Nigeria’s healthcare value chain. Over three days of insightful deliberations, the conference focused on enhancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC), strengthening primary healthcare, leveraging technology, optimizing supply chains, and promoting cross-sector collaboration to improve access to quality medicines across West Africa.

Many distinguished guests from within the West Africa sub-region graced the conference and exhibition, including but not limited to:

•        Dr. Salma Ibrahim Anas – Special Adviser to the President on Health

•        Dr. Abdu Mukhtar – National Coordinator, Presidential Initiative on Unlocking Healthcare Value Chain

•        Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, FPSN, FNAPharm – Director General, NAFDAC

•        Pharm. Babashehu Ibrahim Ahmed, FPSN – Registrar, Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN)

•        Pharm. James Kommeh – Head of Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone

•        Dr. Chabi Yossounon – Director General, Medicine Agency, Republic of Benin & Chairman, African Medicine Agency (AMA)

•        Dr. Ngono Mballa Rose – Head of FDA, Cameroon

•        Dr. Essa Marenah – Executive Director, Medicines Control Agency, Gambia

•        Pharm. Ayuba Tanko Ibrahim – President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN)

•        Madam Njide Ndili – President, Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN)

•        Prof. Lere Baale – President, Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy, & CEO of Business School Netherlands

Key Talking Points

1. Advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) & Community Pharmacies:
• Long standing challenges in Nigeria’s health system include inadequate investment, poor resource management, low public trust, weak service delivery, limited private sector involvement, and insufficient health system governance.
• The popular assumption that Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) are the main entry point for care is outdated. Many Nigerians access primary healthcare through informal providers such as Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs) and Community Pharmacies (CPs) due to their accessibility and trustworthiness.
• Failure to formally recognize Community Pharmacies (CPs) as primary healthcare centers represents an under-utilization of these facilities and a missed opportunity for health system strengthening.
• With less than 5% of Nigerians having health insurance, an overwhelming proportion of the population faces high out-of-pocket expenses for health, increasing financial hardship.
• Approximately 20% of PHCs are fully functional. As a result, 60-90% of patients bypass PHCs, overcrowding secondary and tertiary facilities with cases that could be handled at the primary level.
2. Government Initiatives & Harmonized Regulation:
• The National Coordinator of the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC) outlined key targets for 2030, including:
• Increasing local pharmaceutical manufacturing to at least 70%.
• Establishing at least two commercial vaccine plants.
• Setting up at least five new medical supplies and diagnostic plants.
• While the government's pro-pharma sector executive orders are commendable, the lead time between policy pronouncements and implementation remains a concern.
• Streamlined regulatory frameworks across African countries are crucial for improving local pharmaceutical production and ensuring consistent quality control.
• Cross-sector collaboration between academia, industry, and government is vital for fostering research, innovation, and policy development.
• NAFDAC's Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) roadmap has validated pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in Nigeria, and encouraged companies to modernize their operations.
• NAFDAC’s ceiling list, first published in 2021, restricts the importation of pharmaceutical products that can be sufficiently produced locally; protecting local manufacturing.
• Approximately 80% of medicine distribution occurs through under-regulated open markets. The government must accelerate its interventions to regulate these markets while creating the enabling environment for alternative innovative quality assured health products supply chain operations.
3. Technology as a Catalyst for Transformation:
• Technology is recognized as a critical enabler for achieving UHC and strengthening health systems across Nigeria and West Africa. Participants emphasized the need for deployment of context appropriate technology solutions that are simple, scalable and sustainable.
• There is a lack of comprehensive policies guiding health technology and suboptimal implementation of existing frameworks.
• Online pharmacy and telemedicine present promising avenues for expanding healthcare access but require clear and robust regulatory frameworks to manage associated risks.
• With the increasing use of health technology and the associated data generation, the interoperability of technological solutions with national health data systems is an emerging issue requiring urgent attention.
4. Empowering Pharmaceutical Wholesalers & Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs):
• Pharmaceutical wholesalers and community pharmacies play a critical role in ensuring the availability and affordability of quality medicines.
• Public-private partnerships (PPPs) were highlighted as pivotal for infrastructure development and improving healthcare access. Collaboration between the government and private sector is essential for unlocking healthcare investment opportunities.

o   Strengthen policy frameworks and governance structures to support effective PPPs in the healthcare sector.

o   Encourage greater investment in pharmaceutical manufacturing through favorable government policies, tax incentives, and improved access to financing.

5. Youth Advocacy and Inclusion:
• Young pharmacists are recognized as vital advocates for public health, driving community-based initiatives and contributing to value chain optimization through grassroots engagement.

Action Points

1. Officially, recognize Community Pharmacies (CPs) as Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs), and include them in the national health facility registry (HFR) and NHMIS DHIS2 platform.
2. Reduce the lead time between government policy announcements and implementation.
3. Fast-track government interventions to regulate open markets while enabling alternative innovative quality assured health products supply chain operations.
4. Strengthen the policy framework around health technology, including interoperability with national health data systems.
5. Continue and enhance NAFDAC's ongoing GMP program.
6. Foster stronger collaboration between the government and private sector to unlock the healthcare value chain.  Public and private sector stakeholders should foster partnerships to drive funding, innovation, and sustainability in the healthcare sector.
7. Expand financial support for manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and community pharmacies through business-friendly credit facilities and incentives.

Closing Remarks

The Pharma West Africa 2025 Conference reaffirmed the shared responsibility of stakeholders to strengthening Nigeria’s pharmaceutical sub-sector and the broader healthcare landscape. Applied, the conference insights and action points will contribute to improvements in the pharma-sector and the health ecosystem.

Signed:

Sincerely,

Pharm. Ahmed I. Yakasai, mni, FPSN, FNAPharm (Kachallan Kano)
Managing Director, Pharma Plus Nigeria Ltd & Former President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN)