Emzor Highlights Impact of Investments on Nigeria’s Pharmaceutical Value Chain, GDP Growth
Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, a leading pharmaceutical company in Nigeria, has stated that its over four decades of legacy through consistent investments in the manufacturing and distribution of world-class, high-quality medicines, surgical equipment and medical supplies have made significant positive impact on Nigeria’s pharmaceutical value chain and the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The company top management revealed that from its humble beginning in 1977, the company has transformed into a pharmaceutical powerhouse operating four world-class plants with over 160 products across 26 therapeutic classes distributed nationwide and across key African markets, including Sierra Leone and Liberia.
The company also has over 2,000 workers in its employ beside tens of those on secondary and indirect employment engaged by distributors, wholesalers and retailers across the value chain.
Speaking during a media interaction/facility tour of the multimillion-dollar Emzor Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) manufacturing plant in Sagamu, Ogun State, Group Managing Director/Founder, Dr. Stella Okoli, OON, noted that Emzor has broken many new grounds in making high-quality life-saving medicines readily available and affordable for Nigerians.
These drugs, she stated, include antimalarials and pediatrics care aimed at combating maternal deaths and infant morbidity in Nigeria and Africa, vitamins, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS antiretroviral, stating that Emzor today boasts of over 13 life-saving medicines earmarked by the United Nations.
Dr. Okoli said by rapidly investing in local production of critical medicines, Emzor has demonstrated leadership in responsiveness to the local manufacturing of United Nations (UN)/WHO-recommended priority medicines and commodities for the treatment of critical illnesses in Nigeria and across the continent.
“The Emzor story is about the impact of the significant gap we have filled in Nigeria’s pharmaceutical space over the past 40 years plus. If anyone is going to tell the story of the pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria today, that story cannot be told without the significant impact Emzor has made. Fake, counterfeiting, falsified products used to be a recurring narrative about the Nigerian pharmaceutical ecosystem; Emzor has significantly changed this narrative with our unwavering commitment to investments in local production of high-quality pharmaceutical products, she said.
Continuing, Dr. Okoli affirmed: “We are consistently working towards ensuring ‘medicine security’ in Nigeria. Emzor is about innovation, high-quality pharmaceutical products, value-addition and pharmaceutical manufacturing efficiency. Our newest API plant on the Emzor Sagamu Campus is a further testament to this. The API factory is not just a manufacturing plant, it is about the impact of our innovativeness, strategic investments, quality assurance, advocacy and giving back to society initiatives. Our vision and mission at Emzor is not just about business survival, but about giving value and making impact.’’
While restating the pivotal role of the pharmaceutical industry to the socio-economic growth of Nigeria, she called on the government to increase support for local drug manufacturers, including encouraging more young people to take interest in the industry.
“The government should encourage local drug manufacturers because we must have local industries thriving in Nigeria. We have a huge population of young people in Nigeria; many of them have been here and they saw what we have done and what we are doing. It will be a thing of delight if the government can encourage more of them to come into the pharmaceutical industry,’’ she added.
Dr. Okoli, who was flanked by members of her senior executive management team, further affirmed her confidence in Nigeria’s potential, stating, “Nigeria is a great place. No matter what happens, we remain a nation of leaders, honest people, and problem solvers. Emzor was built on this foundation, and we will continue to rise.”
Also speaking, the Executive Director, General, Duties, HR & Finance, Uzoma Ezeoke, described the multimillion-dollar Emzor API production facility as a significant leap forward for Nigeria’s pharmaceutical self-sufficiency, and expressed the confidence that it would help Nigeria in reducing reliance on imported APIs and bolster healthcare delivery.
She disclosed that the API facility was the first-of-its-kind not only in Nigeria but Sub-Saharan Africa, and underscored that as a pioneer legacy project, it would serve in boosting local capacity, even as she commended the federal and Ogun State governments for their strong support for the project.
While acknowledging that counterfeiting, high operating costs, inflation exacerbated by the floating of the Naira on the foreign exchange market, and multiple taxes exert heavy pressures on the manufacturing sector generally, Ezeoke stated that Emzor absorbs many costs to keep high-quality medicines affordable for Nigerians.
“Nigeria has over 200 million people. Our focus remains ensuring Nigerians have access to the same high-quality drugs as the rest of the world. We are absorbing as many costs as possible to keep medicines affordable. We are not a charity, but access to quality medicines should not be a privilege. We will continue to innovate and prioritise the well-being of our people,” she said.
Ezeoke said further that in a bid to ensure Nigerians have access to efficacious high-quality drugs, Emzor has put in place multi-layered systems and measures to safeguard probable counterfeiting of its products, as well as stemming the menace of fake drugs in the country. According to her, these measures include consistently investing in innovative product research and development through its world-class laboratories, quality assurance standards, packaging, supply chain monitoring and strong distributor relationships, and partnerships with relevant regulatory agencies.
“Vigilance is crucial. By keeping our supply chain stable, we prevent bad actors from filling the void with substandard products. We work closely with major distributors, some of whom have been with us for decades. This deep-rooted trust ensures accountability and helps us to swiftly address any supply chain gaps,” she enthused.
Amidst other factors inhibiting local production of goods such as economic headwinds, rising energy costs, supply chain disruptions and talent drain, the executive director said Emzor remains resilient in its vision and mission of being the leading pan-African pharmaceutical powerhouse, and to be at the forefront of providing innovative solutions to the systemic challenges that affect healthcare affordability and accessibility on the continent.
