Nigerian pharmacists call for greater importation ban
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) is calling for the government to increase the number of drugs that cannot be imported into the country. The proposal aims to stimulate the local production of drugs; Nigeria has the capacity to double its production of essential medicines, the society believes. 17 medicines currently cannot be imported into Nigeria, but the society wants to almost double this number to 30. PSN's president, Anthony Akhimien, pointed out that Ghana had banned the importation of 35 essential drugs which they could produce locally, and the move had strengthened its pharmaceutical industry.