The Federal Government said it will reduce the importation of drugs in the country from 60 to 40 percent in order to promote the local manufacturing of drugs.

Special Adviser to the President on Health, Salma Anas-Ibrahim disclosed this at a workshop in Abuja.

The workshop was organised to strengthen the World Health Organisation (WHO) Nigeria’s cooperation strategy.

According to Anas-Ibrahim, it is part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s priority agenda to bridge the gap in the health sector in Nigeria.

Other priority areas include increasing and improving access to equal healthcare services, and national health insurance for at least 40% of the country’s population to ensure all citizens including the vulnerable groups benefit.

In 2022 the Federal Government said that 70 percent of medicines consumed in the country are imported. This led to the partnership with the government of Cuba to reduce importation by 20 percent in a few years.