By Doris Obinna
Strengthening Africa’s health resilience through local pharmaceutical manufacturing, innovation, and strategic investment was a major focus at the ECOWAS@50 sub-regional summit, held April 28–29, 2025, at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Victoria Island, Lagos.
At the heart of this conversation was Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, whose Executive Director, Mrs. Uzoma Ezeoke, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to building a robust health infrastructure in Africa.
Speaking on the summit theme, “Local Manufacturing Equals Medicine Security,” Ezeoke emphasised the urgent need for self-reliance in medicine production to reduce dependency on imports and improve access to quality healthcare.
“Strengthening Africa’s healthcare systems must begin with local solutions,” Ezeoke stated, highlighting Emzor’s over 160 locally manufactured products, five production facilities, and export reach to more than 25 African countries.
She pointed to Emzor’s Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) plant in Sagamu as a strategic milestone in closing the drug sufficiency gap in the region.
“The API plant represents more than industrial progress, it’s a lifeline. It will curb counterfeit drugs, save foreign exchange, and boost access to critical medicines, especially antimalarials essential to maternal and child health.”
Beyond medicine production, Ezeoke showcased health innovations tailored to Africa’s needs.
These include child-friendly dispersible tablets, Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) for malnutrition developed with support from USAID, and treatments for postpartum bleeding—each aimed at tackling persistent public health issues.
During a panel session titled “Health is Wealth: Strengthening Sub-Regional Health Resilience,” Ezeoke acknowledged regulatory barriers across West Africa’s diverse linguistic and policy environments but underscored Emzor’s resolve to expand its impact regionally.
She also called for stronger policy backing, noting that high import duties on pharmaceutical raw materials continue to undermine Nigeria’s pharmaceutical leadership in Africa.
The summit brought together key stakeholders from across West Africa to examine ways to accelerate regional integration through health, innovation, and industry.
LCCI President, Mr. Gabriel Idahosa, in his address titled “Regional Integration as Economic Pillar,” stressed the need for peace, security, and improved intra-regional trade to drive economic growth. He revealed that ECOWAS intra-trade had grown to $17.6 billion in 2023, though still a modest 12 per cent of total trade compared to 60 per cent in other regions.
“The AfCFTA offers an opportunity to boost intra-African trade by over 50 per cent by 2030. A common ECOWAS currency could further streamline trade and investment,” Idahosa said.
Keynote speaker and ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) President, Dr. George Donkor, alongside Vice President, Dr. Olagunju Ashimolowo, outlined the bank’s role in financing over 300 regional projects valued at $2.5 billion.
“In Nigeria alone, 19 projects worth $410 million, 94 per cent directed at the private sector, have been financed.”
With the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) poised to boost intra-African trade and healthcare investment, the summit reinforced a shared vision: a self-reliant, healthier Africa built on strong institutions, regional cooperation, and sustained industrial growth.