NAFDAC links growth in local medicine production to regulatory initiatives

Nigeria’s medicines regulator says policies designed to limit selected imports are helping expand domestic pharmaceutical production. NAFDAC Director-General Mojisola Adeyeye attributed the progress to the agency’s 5 Plus 5 policy and its Ceiling List initiative.

Adeyeye said the number of pharmaceutical manufacturing companies in the country had risen from 174 to 190. She said 28 companies had been newly developed or retrofitted, while 16 new facilities had been established, producing a total of 44 facilities and a 25 percent increase in local manufacturing.

She spoke at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Invest in Nigeria Conference. A statement issued by the agency said she invited investors from more than 43 countries to take advantage of changes to Nigeria’s food and drug regulatory framework.

The 5 Plus 5 policy, introduced by NAFDAC in 2019, phases out imports of medicines selected through scientific surveys and critical analysis when local manufacturers have the capacity to produce them. Those products may be manufactured locally, either by establishing a facility or through contract manufacturing with qualified domestic producers.

The Ceiling List expanded the number of products restricted from importation to 36 in 2020, from nine. Adeyeye said the two measures had also increased submissions for facility layouts by pharmaceutical and medical-device companies. A presidential executive order providing zero tariffs, excise duties and value-added tax on imported machinery, equipment and raw materials for local healthcare manufacturing added further support to the sector.

As of June 2026, NAFDAC had reviewed and approved layouts for 176 pharmaceutical companies, including 70 existing and 106 new companies, according to Adeyeye. The agency said imports of drug products in the two categories had fallen by 70 percent. It added that the balance between imported and locally manufactured pharmaceutical products shifted from 70:30 in 2019 to 50:50 in 2025.