FG Grants Zero Tariff on Pharma Inputs for 87 Local Manufacturers
The Federal Government has granted zero tariff on pharmaceutical machinery, Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and excipients for 87 local manufacturers as part of measures to boost local production and achieve medicine security.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, disclosed this on Monday, 28th September 2026, while declaring open the 8th Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers Expo (NPME) organised by the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN) in Lagos.
Salako stated that the intervention is under the Presidential Executive Order for Pharmaceutical and Allied Sectors, which provides fiscal and non-fiscal measures, including tariff relief on almost 1,000 Harmonised System codes and market-shaping mechanisms to support local production.
According to him, the disruptions experienced during COVID-19 and changes in global health financing have reinforced the need for Nigeria and Africa to build domestic capacity to produce medicines, vaccines as well as diagnostics.
“Our conversation can no longer be limited to whether we can access medicines when global supply chains are functioning. The more fundamental question is whether we can produce what our people need when those supply chains are disrupted. Medicine security is therefore not simply a health-sector objective; it is an issue of national resilience and sovereignty,” he said.
The Minister added that the Presidential Initiative to Unlock the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC) has secured about $2 billion in commitments at single-digit interest rates, with about 50 Nigerian health firms in advanced funding discussions. He noted that the initiative targets at least 70 per cent local production of essential healthcare products by 2030.
Salako highlighted ongoing efforts to expand local production of APIs, vaccines, biologics and diagnostics, including the operationalisation of the NIPRD API Capacity Building Centre and initiatives to localise production of HIV, Hepatitis and Syphilis diagnostic kits.
He called for greater investment in research and development, particularly in harnessing Nigeria’s phytomedicinal resources.
“Localisation must not mean simply importing the active ingredients, packaging materials and technologies and assembling the final product here. We must progressively build capacity across the entire value chain,” the Minister said.
He added that the establishment of Medipool, Nigeria’s national Group Purchasing Organisation, will create predictable, large-scale demand for domestic manufacturers by aggregating procurement and improving supply-chain efficiency.
Declaring the Expo open, Salako urged manufacturers, researchers and investors to leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to expand markets, stressing that Nigeria must move from dependency to capability and from localisation to genuine pharmaceutical sovereignty.
In a statement, the Ministry’s Assistant Director, Information and Public Relations, Ado Bako, disclosed that the theme of the 8th Expo is “Regional Manufacturing: Advancing Africa’s Pharma and Life-Science Sovereignty through Localisation.”
