The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has highlighted Nigeria’s regulatory reforms and institutional transformation as a case study in building a credible medicines regulatory system in Africa.
She was speaking at the Takemi Program in International Health’s Global Health Perspectives series at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Adeyeye discussed NAFDAC’s progress since 2017, including its advancement from below World Health Organization, WHO, Maturity Level 1 to Maturity Level 3, with Level 4 and WHO-Listed Authority status identified as future goals.
She outlined five pillars underpinning the Agency’s reforms:
Governance and institutional systems; scientific and quality capabilities; the safety and quality of medical products; supply chain oversight and digitisation; and partnerships with industry and development partners.
Key achievements listed include ISO 9001 certification, WHO prequalification of NAFDAC’s laboratory, expanded laboratory capacity, strengthened enforcement and the digitisation of approximately 90 per cent of regulatory processes.
Adeyeye emphasised the importance of financial accountability, evidence-based regulation, effective enforcement, strong leadership and international collaboration in combating substandard and falsified medical products.
She also highlighted the need to strengthen local pharmaceutical manufacturing without compromising quality and safety standards.
The lecture underscored the importance of sustained institutional reforms, scientific investment and regulatory cooperation in protecting public health and advancing access to safe, effective and quality medical products across Africa.