Policy and regulatory reforms needed to accelerate local pharmaceutical manufacturing in Nigeria: A comparative analysis with India and Bangladesh

Local pharmaceutical manufacturing is increasingly recognized as a strategic pillar for health security, industrial development, and economic resilience in low- and middle-income countries. Many African health systems remain heavily dependent on imported medicines, exposing them to foreign exchange volatility, external supply shocks, and weak bargaining power in global markets. In contrast, countries such as India and Bangladesh have leveraged targeted industrial policies, regulatory reforms, and export-oriented incentives to build competitive generic pharmaceutical industries that supply both domestic and international markets. Nigeria, despite its large population and sizeable medicines market, has yet to fully translate its demand potential into strong local manufacturing capacity. This paper examines the policy and regulatory reforms required to accelerate local pharmaceutical manufacturing in Nigeria through a comparative analysis with India and Bangladesh. It reviews key enablers including medicines pricing policies, intellectual property flexibilities, fiscal and tax incentives, quality regulation, and alignment between industrial and health-sector strategies. The analysis highlights how predictable regulatory pathways, streamlined registration processes, and strong national regulatory authorities have supported growth and international accreditation in comparator countries. In Nigeria, by contrast, fragmented policies, infrastructural deficits, inconsistent enforcement, and limited access to affordable long-term financing continue to constrain investment and technology transfer. Building on these contrasts, the paper proposes a reform agenda for Nigeria focused on regulatory strengthening, harmonized industrial–health policy coordination, targeted incentives for active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and formulation production, and regional market integration. By repositioning local manufacturing as both a health security and industrialization priority, Nigeria can reduce import dependence, support quality-assured medicines production, and enhance its role in regional pharmaceutical value chains.