The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria have pledged to work together to attain World Health Organization (WHO) Maturity Level 4 (ML 4) status. Achieving ML 4 would place Nigeria among the world’s leading producers of vaccines and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). ML 4 is the highest classification for regulatory authorities of medical products in the WHO system. In 2022, WHO announced that NAFDAC had reached Maturity Level 3, indicating that the agency functions well and could be eligible for inclusion in the transitional WHO Listed Authorities—a list of reference regulators worldwide.
Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, emphasized that the nation must maintain ML 3 by strictly adhering to global best practices in regulatory responsibility. In a press statement signed by NAFDAC’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, Prof. Adeyeye spoke at a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos on pharmaceutical traceability. “We are going to strengthen our operations and be more effective. We are going to get ML 4. We are going to be marked as a World Listed Authority apart from ML 4,” she said.
Prof. Adeyeye noted that attaining ML 4 would further boost Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry and facilitate the shift from importing pharmaceutical products to local manufacturing. “It will help in terms of trade. If there is an opportunity to trade or sell, more companies will engage in partnerships. We must ensure no substandard medicine is exported from Nigeria so we can foster trade, increase GDP, earn foreign exchange, reduce unemployment, and make ourselves proud. Since this is on a global platform, we have to use international standards,” she explained.
She also disclosed that the nation is already preparing for vaccine and API manufacturing, with substantial support from the Federal Government to upgrade NAFDAC’s vaccine laboratory. Dr. Fidelis Ayebae, Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMGMAN), affirmed the group’s readiness to support NAFDAC in creating an enabling environment for the industry. “If there is one body in foods, drugs, and related chemicals that wants you to succeed more than anything else, it is PMGMAN,” he said. Dr. Ayebae pledged to mobilize CEOs of pharmaceutical companies across the country to foster a collaborative relationship with the regulator, enhancing oversight effectiveness and promoting industry growth. He added that PMGMAN would form a technical committee with NAFDAC to help the industry reach greater heights.
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