The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN) has urged the Federal Government to reduce energy costs and strengthen policies supporting local production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to accelerate Nigeria’s drive towards medicine security.
The group said high energy costs and delays in clearing pharmaceutical inputs were undermining the competitiveness of local manufacturers and discouraging investment in the sector.
The Chairman of PMG-MAN and Managing Director/CEO of Daily-Need Industries Limited, Mr Oluwatosin Jolayemi, made the call at a media briefing in Lagos ahead of the eighth Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers’ Expo (NPME 2026).
Jolayemi, who was represented by the Chairman of the Exhibition Planning Committee and Managing Director/CEO of May & Baker Nigeria Plc, Dr Patrick Ajah, said the industry was targeting 70 per cent local production of medicines.
Ajah said the sector had grown from 20 pioneer members in 1983 to more than 200 pharmaceutical manufacturing companies, adding that manufacturers remained committed to reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported medicines.
The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of PMG-MAN, Pharm. Frank Muonemeh, said the industry had recorded a shift towards local manufacturing, citing National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) data showing that imports of finished pharmaceuticals declined from 4.03 billion units to 1.13 billion units as of 2025.
However, Muonemeh said energy costs remained a major constraint, with pharmaceutical companies spending more than 40 per cent of their revenue on electricity and alternative power generation, compared with less than 10 per cent among competitors in countries such as China and India.
He called for targeted government interventions, including dedicated industrial energy tariffs, as well as stronger policies to encourage domestic production of APIs and other pharmaceutical inputs.
PMG-MAN also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to extend the Presidential Executive Order supporting the pharmaceutical sector from its current two-year cycle to five years, saying a longer policy framework would provide the stability needed to attract investment and consolidate gains in local production.
The group said the NPME 2026, scheduled for September 28 and 29 at Harbour Point, Victoria Island, Lagos, would focus on technology transfer, regulatory harmonisation, market access, contract manufacturing, joint ventures and cross-border market integration.
More than 200 exhibitors and nearly 10,000 industry professionals are expected at the expo, themed, “Regional Manufacturing: Advancing Africa’s Pharma and Life Science Sovereignty through Localisation.”