The Federal Government (FG) has announced plans to set up Empower Academy Nigeria, a specialized hub aimed at strengthening local pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing.
Prof. Muhammad Pate, the coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, announced the initiative on Sunday, calling it a major step under President Bola Tinubu’s healthcare industrialization agenda.
The academy, developed through a partnership with Empower School of Health, Geneva, aims to help Nigeria produce at least 70% of its pharmaceuticals and a significant share of its vaccines locally by 2030.
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It will also close critical workforce gaps in advanced manufacturing, regulatory sciences, and quality assurance.
Empower Academy will train thousands annually, offer certifications with global bodies like World Health Organisation (WHO) and Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United Nations Institute for Training and Research, the International Federation of Pharmacists, and support the setup of new manufacturing platforms.
“With a mandate and capacity to train and upskill thousands of professionals annually, underpinned by cutting-edge equipment and world-class facilities, Empower Academy in Nigeria will advance best practices in process engineering, regulatory compliance, quality control, environmental monitoring, business management, entrepreneurship, supply chain and distribution, as well as customer support. “
“The Academy will serve as a regional hub for pharmaceutical manufacturing training and is expected to address a critical workforce gap of between 5,000 and 7,000 skilled professionals in the country,” Prof Pate said.
Backed by financing from the European Investment Bank and AFREXIMBANK, the academy will promote balanced development nationwide through mobile training programmes.
Pate highlighted that the initiative is part of broader efforts to double Nigeria’s pharmaceutical market share in Africa to at least 15%, attract major investments, and expand the life sciences workforce significantly.
