FG to Begin Local Production of Family Planning Commodities

The Nigerian federal government has announced plans to commence local production of family planning commodities, a move designed to bolster the nation's healthcare value chain and decrease reliance on imports. This initiative is a significant step towards improving access to essential reproductive health products across the country.

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For the first time, there will be a pharmaceutical entity able to produce family planning commodities in Nigeria in collaboration with Bayer, which will be the first, not only in Nigeria, but I believe in the sub-Saharan African region.

The production will be realized through a partnership between the global pharmaceutical giant Bayer Pharmaceuticals and a local Nigerian manufacturer. This collaboration marks a major milestone for Nigeria's pharmaceutical industry, establishing the first facility in the sub-Saharan African region dedicated to producing family planning products. The new company is slated to be established in Anambra State.

Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, disclosed these details at a high-level meeting in Abuja focused on Family Planning, Health, Human Capital, and National Development. He emphasized that this venture is part of broader efforts to cultivate a healthier and more productive population, capable of contributing more effectively to Nigeria's economic development. The minister highlighted that the facility will not only meet domestic needs but also create jobs for Nigerian youth, contributing to a more prosperous and peaceful nation.

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And that’s a good plus because not only do we have to depend all the time on things being brought to us, we can produce them here, create jobs for our youth as well, and create country that is prosperous, that is peaceful, and that is people-oriented.

Prof. Pate further explained the strategic importance of transforming Nigeria's large population into a productive asset. He stressed that failure to invest in the population's quality and productivity could turn it into a liability. To this end, the Inter-Ministerial Platform on Family Planning has been formed to enhance collaboration among relevant ministries, agencies, partners, and subnational entities to achieve set goals in family planning and reproductive health. The initiative is expected to accelerate improvements in the country's health and human development index.

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That vision is not for granted. To actualise that vision, we need to do everything that we can to manifest the dividend of that population, to make sure it is a quality population, it’s a productive population. If we fail in doing that, that population that we will have can easily become a liability.