Akpa further called on the Federal Government and other tiers of government to adopt and implement the concept of Medicines Security, a strategic document developed by the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria .
The SKG pharma boss who is the chairman of West African Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association and immediate past chairman of PMG-MAN said local production which now stands at 35 percent is not a reflection of the skills and capacity of local industries but will need government intervention in several areas to boost the capacity of local pharmaceutical companies.
Continuing, Akpa called on the Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria to set up N300billion Pharmaceutical Expansion and Export Fund which will provide soft loans to upgrade and improve the factories swell as increase capacity among indigenous drug manufacturing companies. He said the association is engaging the government to ensure that there is support along the pharmaceutical value chain. Ahmed said with the coming of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement which Nigeria is yet to sign, the pharmaceutical industry will be impacted greatly either positively or negatively and called on the industry to upgrade in terms of technology and capacity to be able to compete with pharmaceutical companies from other African countries.