By Ojoma Akor
The National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) has trained 50 young scientists on medicine security and the production of safe, quality medicines.
They were trained under the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP)’s World Bank-Funded Availability of Safe and Quality Medicine Immunization Plus Project and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Services (IMPACT) Project (2025-Phase), implemented by the NIPRD.
Speaking during the capacity-building workshop in Abuja, Dr. Obi Adigwe, Director General of the NIPRID, said that during COVID-19, countries had to close their borders, and that as a result of that experience, it has become necessary for the country to think inwards about how to solve problems in the health care system.
Represented by a director at the agency, Mboma Iheanyi, he said the workshop was part of efforts to address gaps in medicine security.
Adigwe further said that medicine security helps ensure that the country can provide for itself during crisis periods.
He said NIPRD has conducted extensive phyto-medicine training and also trained traditional medicine practitioners on compliance, safety, and related topics.
He added that training also helps address issues related to the production of fake and adulterated medicines.
Mercy Aboh, technical assistant (Pharma and Industry) to the Director-General of NIPRD and lead for the IMPACT Project, said the program is designed to impact early-career scientists in pharmacy and related health fields.
She said young scientists are the drivers of change who will ensure that medicine is secure, available, and safe, not just in Nigeria, but across Africa.
She said, “To ensure that the medicines are safe and have the right quality, we have decided to train the young ones because we expect that, with knowledge and training, they will have the awareness of what it takes to ensure safe, quality medicines tomorrow. While they are in the field practicing, they ensure that Nigeria gets better, and the move will help reduce the rate of fake and adulterated medicines in the market”.
She enjoined the young scientists to make good use of the training, saying that the goal of the project is to ensure that medicines in the country meet the World Health Organisation (WHO) pre-qualification standards.
A participant in the training exercise, microbiologist Rosemary Uzuh Nwakaego, said the training program will help build the mindsets of young scientists to make research beneficial to society.
“It is not just for the theoretical purpose or getting publication, but making these things practical, so that people can benefit from it. It’s something I feel will push my career forward in the long run,” she said.
