Nigeria and Barbados have taken a bold step toward transforming Africa’s pharmaceutical landscape with the signing of a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at boosting local medicine manufacturing, enhancing drug accessibility, and fortifying health security across West Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America.
The landmark agreement between Nigeria’s Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC) and Barbados Pharmaceutical Inc.
(BPI) was signed on Tuesday in Abuja in the presence of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, who gave the deal his full ministerial endorsement.
Under the MoU, both nations will collaborate to accelerate large-scale local pharmaceutical production in Nigeria while expanding market access through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), ECOWAS, and CARICOM–Latin America trade corridors.
The partnership also lays the groundwork for regulatory reliance and harmonization between Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Barbados’ soon-to-be-established Medical Products Regulatory Authority.
Key highlights of the agreement include:
Joint initiatives to ramp up local manufacturing of essential medicines and diagnostics
Policy and regulatory reforms to attract investment
Innovative financing mechanisms modeled on PVAC’s proven deal-making framework
Technical exchanges, including a visit by the Barbados delegation to AMA Medical Manufacturing and other Nigerian biomedical facilities
Exploration of a future Barbados-based production hub for African and Caribbean markets
Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate described the partnership as a perfect alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of industrializing Nigeria’s health sector, slashing reliance on imported medicines, and positioning the country as a continental pharmaceutical powerhouse.
“Nigeria offers a rapidly growing market, a strengthened regulatory system under NAFDAC, and expanding primary healthcare infrastructure—the ideal environment for transformative partnerships,” Prof. Pate stated.
“This collaboration with Barbados will not only drive local production but will enhance health security for millions across our regions.”
The historic Nigeria–Barbados pharmaceutical pact signals a new era of South–South cooperation in health industrialization and marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s journey toward self-sufficiency in medicine production and regional leadership in healthcare delivery.
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