The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, says Nigeria’s regulatory reforms offer a model for strengthening health systems across Africa.
Adeyeye said the agency’s transformation demonstrated how sustained institutional reforms, scientific investment and international collaboration could improve the regulation of medical products.
The agency disclosed this in a statement posted on its X handle on Sunday.
According to the statement, Adeyeye spoke during the Global Health Perspectives series organised by the Takemi Program in International Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
She highlighted NAFDAC’s progress since 2017, when the agency operated below the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Maturity Level One.
Adeyeye said NAFDAC had since advanced to Maturity Level Three, with Level Four and WHO-Listed Authority status identified as future targets.
She attributed the progress to five strategic pillars underpinning the agency’s institutional transformation.
These include governance and institutional systems; scientific and quality capabilities; medical product safety and quality; supply chain oversight and digitisation; and partnerships with industry and development partners.
The NAFDAC boss also highlighted the agency’s ISO 9001 certification and WHO prequalification of its laboratory among its major achievements.
She said laboratory capacity had expanded, enforcement strengthened and approximately 90 per cent of regulatory processes digitised.
Adeyeye stressed that financial accountability, evidence-based regulation, effective enforcement and strong leadership were essential to combating substandard and falsified medical products.
She also identified international collaboration as critical to strengthening regulatory systems and protecting public health across Africa and beyond.
The NAFDAC director-general further emphasised the importance of expanding local pharmaceutical manufacturing without compromising the quality and safety of medicines
She said increased domestic production must be accompanied by rigorous regulatory oversight to ensure that medicines manufactured and supplied in Nigeria meet required standards.
The Harvard engagement highlighted the importance of sustained institutional reforms, scientific investment and regulatory cooperation in improving access to safe, effective and quality medical products across Africa.
