The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to ending the circulation of fake, substandard, and expired medicines through the establishment of Coordinated Wholesale Centres (CWCs) across Nigeria.
Mr. Bulama Yakubu, Head of Drug and Vaccine Development and Drug Distribution System at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during a stakeholder meeting on the Promoting Accreditation for Community Health Services (PACS) project.
Themed “Strengthening Private Sector Participation in Nigeria’s Health Market: Insights and Learning from PACS Project on Addressing Substandard and Falsified Medicines,” the meeting brought together health sector actors and policy influencers.
Yakubu explained that the CWCs would serve as centralized, regulated hubs where medicines could only be sourced from verified manufacturers and importers, ensuring quality assurance and regulatory compliance.
“With the CWCs, the sources of drugs will be known. Drugs will be moved from manufacturers to these centres, which will serve as the only point of wholesale distribution,” he stated.
He added that the centres would feature offices for NAFDAC and the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), quality assurance laboratories, and police outposts for enforcement and safety.
Yakubu noted that the initiative was already yielding results in Anambra, Kano, Ogun, and Lagos States, with the open drug market in Kano successfully relocated to a new wholesale centre commissioned in February 2024. He also confirmed that states like Ebonyi, Imo, and Oyo had applied to establish their own CWCs.
Addressing Systemic Challenges
Yakubu highlighted persistent challenges affecting Nigeria’s drug distribution system, including:
Proliferation of unregulated open drug markets
Fragmentation among stakeholders
Political interference
Weak leadership structures
He emphasized that full implementation of the National Drug Distribution Guidelines (NDDGs) would standardize the drug supply chain nationwide. The guidelines support the creation of State Drug Distribution Centres (SDDCs) by state governments and Mega Drug Distribution Centres (MDDCs) by private entities.
“Our goal is to ensure that all medicines circulating in the Nigerian market are safe, affordable, and of high quality,” Yakubu added.
Stakeholders Endorse PACS Success
Dr. Omokhudu Idogho, Managing Director of the Society for Family Health (SFH), lauded the PACS initiative, describing it as a “proof of concept” that demonstrated the ability of community pharmacists and Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs) to deliver quality services when properly trained and accredited.
“PACS has shown that when supply chains are digitized, provider accreditation is strengthened, and procurement aligns with verified sources, substandard and falsified medicines can be drastically reduced,” Idogho said.
He called for national integration of PACS findings into health policy frameworks.
Mrs. Iyadunni Olubode, Country Director for MSD for Mothers in Nigeria and Kenya, said the organization’s support for PACS was driven by a desire to enhance access to quality family planning commodities, especially in rural and peri-urban areas.
“Community pharmacists and PPMVs are crucial in delivering reproductive health services. Ensuring they dispense high-quality drugs could reduce maternal mortality by up to one-third,” she noted.
Regulatory Perspective
Representing the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), Dr. Taiwo Filusi, Lagos Zonal Officer, commended the progress made in relocating open drug markets and establishing drug management agencies. He acknowledged that while progress may appear slow, the focus remains on sustainable, long-term reforms.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PACS project is a two-year initiative funded by MSD for Mothers and implemented by a consortium led by the Solina Centre for International Development and Research (SCIDaR) and SFH.
The project’s aim is to strengthen the PCN accreditation framework using a combination of incentives—access to finance, quality-assured commodities, and branding—to enhance family planning and primary healthcare service delivery at the community level.
