The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced plans to introduce incentives for manufacturers to develop paediatric medicines.
Speaking during a press conference in Lagos on Thursday, the agency’s Director-General, prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, outlined NAFDAC’s strategic focus for 2025, which includes bolstering the production of essential medicines for children.
“Great emphasis will be placed on paediatric antimalarials and antibiotics,” Adeyeye said. “Manufacturers will be incentivized to develop paediatric medicines and handhelds toward achieving WHO prequalification.”
The DG revealed that NAFDAC’s approach for 2025 will hinge on five strategic pillars:
Strong governance and leadership
Maternal, newborn, and child health
Institutionalization of best practices
Safety and quality of regulated products
Monitoring the supply chain
Adeyeye said these pillars reflect the agency’s commitment to safeguarding the health of Nigerians. “Reflection on the past seven years has brought into focus the many accomplishments that have been achieved in NAFDAC and so many others to be attained,” she said.
“This realization has sharpened my focus on how to strategically work towards continued strengthening of the regulatory system as a needed path toward safeguarding the health of the nation.”
Adeyeye stressed the importance of improving regulated products for maternal, newborn, and child health to combat issues such as postpartum hemorrhage and maternal deaths, while reducing child morbidity.
She also highlighted the need for quality training for NAFDAC staff to ensure the agency’s workforce remains motivated and disciplined.
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Addressing NAFDAC’s staffing issues, Adeyeye noted that the agency is “extremely understaffed” relative to Nigeria’s population.
“The number of staff that an agency has or should have depends on the population of the country because it is easier to regulate a country with one million than a country with 300 million people,” she said.
She added that NAFDAC currently employs about 2,000 staff but requires at least 10,000 to meet regulatory demands.
“We burn candles on both ends, overstressing ourselves because we have to safeguard the health of Nigerians. We are not asking for 10,000 staff now; we are just asking for double or triple what we currently have.”
