FG to Set Up Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Training Institute

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja 

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, has said the federal government is partnering an organisation – Empower Swiss – to establish pharmaceutical manufacturing training institute in country to help improve knowledge of the nation’s medical professionals.

In a statement, Pate said that Nigeria has advanced 22 new large-scale health sector manufacturing projects funded by $5.5 billion in private sector capital, adding as these new investments come into our country, our focus on cultivating a world-class pharmaceutical manufacturing workforce in-country has sharpened.

He said: “Against the backdrop of Nigeria recently securing €1 billion from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and an additional $1 billion from AfreximBank to incentivize health sector value chain localization, we have signed an agreement with Empower School of Health, Geneva, that will see to the establishment of Africa’s foremost pharmaceutical manufacturing training institute, Empower Academy Nigeria”.

Pate said the initiative is targeting to accommodate knowledge transfer in support of the local production of pharmaceutical excipients, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), and advanced dosage forms such as inhalers, extended-release medications, and dermatological patches.

He added that the Empower Academy Nigeria will advance best practice in process engineering, regulatory compliance, quality control, environmental monitoring, and other important fields.

“With a mandate and capacity to train and upskill up to 2,000 Nigerian professionals annually, supported by cutting-edge equipment and world-class facilities, Empower Academy Nigeria will offer certification courses in partnership with Africa CDC, the World Health Organization (WHO), UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), and the International Federation of Pharmacists, amongst others”.