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• Project to produce 12m units of IV fluids annually
Nigeria and Barbados have advanced plans to establish a $32 million pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Barbados, with an initial capacity to produce 12 million units of intravenous (IV) fluids annually as part of efforts to strengthen healthcare security and deepen trade between Africa and the Caribbean.
The proposed facility, expected to commence production in 2029, will be developed through a partnership involving the governments of Nigeria and Barbados, Nigerian pharmaceutical manufacturer AMA Medical Manufacturing, Barbados Pharmaceutical Inc. (BPI) and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).
The agreements advancing the project were signed on November 3 on the sidelines of the 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda.
The development was marked by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between BPI and AMA Medical Manufacturing, alongside a project preparation facility term sheet between AMA and Afreximbank.
The proposed investment is expected to combine Nigerian manufacturing expertise with Caribbean investment opportunities, creating a pharmaceutical production base in Barbados to serve regional and international markets.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, who represented Nigeria in the partnership, described the initiative as a practical demonstration of the commitment of both countries to expanding economic and industrial cooperation.
Akume said the collaboration would strengthen healthcare production, expand trade and create opportunities for technology exchange and skills development.
“By bringing together Nigerian manufacturing expertise and Caribbean investment opportunities, we can strengthen healthcare production, expand trade and create new pathways for technology exchange and skills development, amplifying the potential of South-South Cooperation,” he said.
Barbados Prime Minister, Mia Amor Mottley, described the initiative as a significant step towards economic resilience and stronger cooperation between Africa and the Caribbean.
She said the partnership reflected the determination of both regions to develop productive capacity, strengthen health security and create sustainable opportunities for future generations.
“Barbados may be a small island state, but our ambitions for our people and our region are not small,” Mottley said.
She added that the partnership demonstrated what African and Caribbean countries could achieve by leveraging their shared history to build a common economic future.
Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, also welcomed the project, describing it as an example of “re-globalisation in action”.
Okonjo-Iweala said the COVID-19 pandemic had exposed the dangers of concentrating the production of essential medical supplies in a few countries, making diversification of pharmaceutical supply chains imperative.
According to her, the partnership would demonstrate how trade and investment could connect African and Caribbean manufacturing capabilities, strengthen supply chain resilience and create opportunities for industrial development.
The WTO chief said the initiative had received initial support from the organisation’s Secretariat, which sees it as a catalyst for trade through improved regulatory frameworks and diversification of essential medical products.
Senior Executive Vice-President of Afreximbank, Denys Denya, said the project built on the bank’s growing engagement with Caribbean countries, which gained momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic through efforts to facilitate access to vaccines.
He said the proposed financing arrangement would go beyond the initial project preparation facility to include senior debt, working capital and risk-bearing instruments required to bring the manufacturing plant into operation.
Denya said the investment would help the Caribbean develop local production of essential medicines, strengthen health sovereignty, facilitate technology transfer and create skilled employment.
Chairman of AMA Holdings, Abdullahi Musa Bello, said the partnership would enable the Nigerian manufacturer to extend its established manufacturing capabilities into a new market while contributing to pharmaceutical industrialisation in the Caribbean.
He said the company was focused on establishing a commercially viable operation backed by technical expertise, reliable supply chains and sustainable market opportunities.
Acting Chief Executive Officer of Barbados Pharmaceutical Inc., Dr Cindi Lewis, said the immediate task was to translate the agreements reached in Antigua and Barbuda into a functioning manufacturing operation.
She said the technical and financial assessments would be critical to ensuring that the project moved from commitments to actual production.
The proposed facility will initially concentrate on IV fluids, an essential medical product used across healthcare systems, with the possibility of expanding into other pharmaceutical products subject to technical, commercial and regulatory assessments.
The project preparation facility proposed by Afreximbank will support the technical, commercial and financial studies required to establish the project’s viability, determine its financing structure and prepare it for investment.
However, the proposed $32 million financing has not yet been fully secured, while regulatory approvals and construction arrangements remain outstanding.
The initiative builds on existing trade between Nigeria and Barbados. AMA’s first shipment of IV fluids arrived in Barbados in March 2026, with additional shipments planned for Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands and St Lucia.
Barbados Pharmaceutical Inc. is also working with AMA-MED and Barbados-based Lenstec to explore opportunities to expand the export of Barbadian medical technology to Nigeria.
In a related development, Barbados enacted legislation in June 2026 to establish the Barbados Medical Products Authority, with regulatory and institutional implementation currently under way.
The proposed pharmaceutical plant is expected to provide a foundation for broader industrial cooperation between the two regions, particularly in pharmaceutical manufacturing, skills development, regulatory capacity and access to international markets.
The project will now proceed through feasibility studies, financing arrangements, regulatory processes and construction planning ahead of the targeted 2029 production commencement.
