The Managing Director of May & Baker Nigeria Plc, Patrick Ajah, has said that the objective of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Group of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN) is to grow local manufacturing of pharmaceutical products by 70 per cent.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos on Tuesday to announce the beginning of activities for the 8th Edition of the Nigeria Pharma Manufacturing Expo (NPMN), Ajah said the group is focused on local manufacturing and that is why all the companies that will be allowed to come from outside the country for the exhibition are people who help to drive local content.
Ajah, who is the Chairman of the Exhibition Planning Committee, said all the exhibitors of pharmaceutical products are going to be those that are manufactured locally and that the only thing that will be exhibited, which is imported, will be machines and other materials that are not produced in Nigeria.
“The Director General of NAFDAC says from information available to her that there is a growth of local manufacturing companies. And we can say, as members of PMG-MAN, we have also seen that. We’ve seen many new factories coming up in Nigeria.
“We’ve seen many people wanting to be members of PMG-MAN. Quite a number of them called me to help facilitate their membership. And that obviously means that the effort of the government and our advocacy is walking in the right direction.
“And I’m saying that this particular expo couldn’t have come at a better time because we know the situation we’re in now. With the war that is going on in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz being closed, we are seeing it. So all imported pharmaceuticals are hanging out there on the Strait of Hormuz.
“So it further authenticates the need for local manufacturing to be encouraged to grow. We’re growing, but we can grow faster. The government has stated there’s a need to turn the tide so that instead of 70 per cent being imported, it should be 70 per cent produced and the 30 per cent imported, which is the dimension that you see in places like India, China, and some other fast-growing economies.
“So in this 8th edition, we want Nigerians, as many as possible, to come and see the effort that PMG-MAN is making. I must also say that some of the advocacy efforts we’ve made have yielded fruit.”
On his part, the Executive Secretary of PMG-MAN, Frank Muonemeh, said the exhibition will take place on September 28 and 29 at the Harbour Point Event Centre in Lagos. He noted that over 200 exhibiting companies are expected to attend with nearly 10,000 pharmaceutical and related sector trade professionals from across the African region.
According to Muonemeh, the theme of the expo is, ‘Regional Manufacturing: Advancing Africa’s Pharma and Life Science Sovereignty through Localisation.’ He noted that the Minister of Health and his counterpart in the Trade and Industry are expected to declare the exhibition open.
He said: “This year’s theme has been conceptualised to enable robust and comprehensive stakeholder engagement in the industry, particularly as it concerns the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) and the positioning of the industry for global competitiveness.”
