Abuja, Nigeria: In a significant stride towards bolstering its healthcare sector, the Federal Government has secured a substantial $5.5 billion in private sector investment, according to the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate.
Announcing the development on his X platform on Sunday, Prof Pate highlighted that this achievement was realized under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu.
Adding to this progress, Nigeria has also forged a partnership with Empower School of Health, based in Geneva, to establish the Empower Academy Nigeria.
This groundbreaking initiative will serve as a premier pharmaceutical manufacturing training institute in Africa, with the capacity to train 2,000 Nigerian professionals each year.
Prof Pate elaborated on the significance of these developments, stating, “Under the innovative leadership of H.E. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, Nigeria has advanced 22 new large-scale health sector manufacturing projects funded by $5.5bn in private sector capital…we have signed an agreement with Empower School of Health, Geneva, that will see to the establishment of Africa’s foremost pharmaceutical manufacturing training institute, Empower Academy Nigeria.”
This move comes on the heels of Nigeria securing €1 billion from the European Investment Bank and an additional $1 billion from AfreximBank, both aimed at incentivizing the localization of the health sector value chain.
The Empower Academy Nigeria is designed to facilitate knowledge transfer crucial for the local production of pharmaceutical excipients, active pharmaceutical ingredients, and advanced dosage forms. The academy will focus on advancing best practices in process engineering, regulatory compliance, quality control, environmental monitoring, and other vital areas.
Prof Pate emphasized the academy’s mandate and capacity to annually train and upskill up to 2,000 Nigerian professionals. Equipped with cutting-edge equipment and world-class facilities, the academy will offer certification courses in collaboration with esteemed organizations such as the Africa CDC, the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, and the International Federation of Pharmacists.
Hobnob News recalls that last week, the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Empower School of Health (Empower Swiss), Geneva, to establish this Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Training Academy in Nigeria.
This strategic alliance aims to address the workforce deficit in the pharmaceutical industry and support Nigeria’s national objective of producing 70 percent of its pharmaceuticals by 2030 and 60 percent of its vaccines by 2040, aligning with the Africa Centres for Disease Control’s vision.
Launched in October 2023 under President Tinubu’s guidance, PVAC is a pivotal initiative focused on catalyzing the transformation of Nigeria’s healthcare ecosystem through significant investments and increased private-sector engagement.
