NAPHARM Moves to Transform Pharmacy Education for a Healthier Nigeria, ,
The Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy (NAPHARM) has taken a significant step towards transforming pharmacy education in Nigeria, with a focus on shaping the future of healthcare in the country.
At the academy’s 2025 Annual General Meeting and Investiture Ceremony, distinguished leaders, professionals, policymakers, and scholars from across the country, and the global pharmaceutical community came together to discuss the critical role of innovation in driving economic diversification, job creation, and national progress.
The event, with the theme ‘Pharmaceutical Innovation as a Catalyst for National Development’, highlighted the importance of research, local manufacturing, digital health and investment in building a resilient pharmaceutical value chain that supports Nigeria’s industrial and health security goals.
In his keynote, the Group Managing Director of FBN Holdings Plc, Mr. Wale Oyedeji, emphasized that pharmaceutical innovation is not just about developing new drugs, but also about creating an ecosystem that supports knowledge, entrepreneurship, and collaboration across public and private sectors.
The two-day event, held at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, featured a range of activities, including the induction of 14 new fellows and a valedictory session in honour of late Chief Oludolapo Ibukun Akinkugbe.
The NAPHARM President, Prof. Lere Baale, highlighted the importance of collaboration, mentorship and policy advocacy in strengthening Nigeria’s health systems and inspiring the next generation of innovators.
He urged the new fellows to carry forward the ideals of integrity, scholarship and service that define the academy’s ethos.
The valedictory session in honor of Akinkugbe, a revered pharmacist and co-founder of Spectrum Books, was a highlight of the event. Fellows and dignitaries paid tribute to his legacy of excellence, enduring influence on healthcare systems, and lifelong commitment to professionalism, ethics, and nation-building.
The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, restated the agency’s commitment to strengthening regulation and supporting local manufacturing through science-based policies.
She highlighted NAFDAC’s achievements, including the prequalification of two Nigerian medicine manufacturers and one medical device company by the World Health Organization (WHO). The agency’s nationwide track-and-trace system, used to monitor vaccines, narcotics, and newborn health commodities, is the first in Africa.
The new fellows inducted into the academy include Dr. Samuel Oluwaoromipin Adekola, Yedunni Abimbola Adenuga, Dr. Adenike Olubisi Adenuga, and 11 others. Three eminent pharmacists, Prof. Gabriel Osuide, Theophilous Adebowale Omotosho and Dr. Fidelis Ayebae received the Lifetime Achievement Award for their decades of service to pharmaceutical practice and national development.
The event drew a constellation of distinguished personalities from academia, industry, and government, including Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, Founding President of NAPHARM, and Prof. Cecilia Igwilo, Nigeria’s first female Professor of Pharmacy.
In his closing remarks, Prof. Baale noted that “pharmacy holds the power to shape the future of Nigeria’s healthcare, innovation and industrial growth. When we invest in pharmaceutical innovation, we are not just advancing science, we are securing our nation’s health, economy and dignity.”
The event concluded with a renewed commitment to collaboration, mentorship and policy advocacy to strengthen Nigeria’s health system and inspire the next generation of innovators.
, Education – THISDAYLIVE, October 29, 2025, 12:56 am
