The Federal Government has announced plans to further integrate pharmacists into Nigeria’s healthcare system, expanding their roles in clinical care, preventive medicine, digital health and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, disclosed this in Abuja at a ministerial press briefing to commemorate the 2026 World Pharmacists Day, themed “Empowering Pharmacists for Healthier Futures.”
Represented by the Director of Planning and Director of Human Resources Management, Tetshoma Dafeta, Pate described pharmacists as highly accessible health professionals whose expertise was critical to the safe and effective use of medicines.
“Pharmacists are highly accessible health professionals whose expertise is critical to the safe and effective use of medicines, preventive care, chronic disease management and patient safety,” he said.
He said the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare was advancing reforms under the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) to strengthen pharmacy practice and better integrate pharmacists into healthcare delivery.
According to him, the reforms would include expanding pharmacists’ roles in primary and specialised care, promoting regulated e-pharmacy and digital health platforms, supporting local pharmaceutical manufacturing and strengthening efforts to prevent substandard and falsified medical products.
“Pharmacists must be positioned not only as custodians of medicines, but as active partners in clinical care, public health, digital health and the development of Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry,” Pate said.
The minister also stressed the need for sustained investment in pharmacy education, clinical residency programmes and continuous professional development.
He said investment in workplace infrastructure, research and innovation was equally important, alongside stronger collaboration among pharmacists, physicians, nurses and other health professionals.
In her welcome address, the Director of Food and Drug Services, Pharm. Olufowubi-Yusuf Adeola, said pharmacists remained critical to improving medication adherence and preventing medication-related errors.
“Pharmacists play an important role in improving medication adherence, preventing medication-related errors and promoting the safe and rational use of medicines,” she said.
Adeola added that the presence of pharmacists within communities positioned them to contribute significantly to public health interventions.
“Their presence within communities positions them to contribute to public health interventions, including health education, antimicrobial stewardship, vaccination awareness and chronic disease management,” she said.
She called for continued investment in the skills, tools and professional environment required to enable pharmacists to respond effectively to emerging health challenges.
The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, also highlighted the role of pharmacists in ensuring medicines meet required standards.
She said pharmacists were important in ensuring that access to medicines was matched by appropriate standards of “quality, safety, efficacy and proper use.”
Similarly, the Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, said the Authority would continue to strengthen collaboration with pharmacists.
Ohiri said the collaboration would focus on “medicines formularies, reimbursement processes and the integration of pharmaceutical care within quality assurance frameworks.”
The National Coordinator of the Presidential Initiative for the Revitalisation of the Pharmaceutical Industry, Dr. Abdul Mukhtar, emphasised the role of pharmacists in strengthening Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry.
He said stronger local pharmaceutical manufacturing required “the profession’s active participation.”
Representatives of development partners and private-sector stakeholders also reaffirmed their support for strengthening pharmaceutical services, medicines safety, patient care and the development of Nigeria’s pharmaceutical sector.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said it remained committed to building “an equipped, supported and fully integrated pharmacy workforce” as part of the government’s broader health-sector reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.