Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, has called on Nigerians to patronise locally developed herbal medicines, warning that continued dependence on imported products could undermine the country’s efforts to build a self-reliant pharmaceutical industry.
The Deputy Director of AB Pharmaceutical Services, Oluwatoyin Afolabi, said Nigeria needed to harness its indigenous medicinal resources and expanding research capacity to develop and promote homegrown pharmaceutical products.
Afolabi made the call in Ado Ekiti on Saturday during the two-day AB Pharmaceuticals Business Summit, organised by the university in collaboration with pharmaceutical marketers.
She described the country’s reliance on foreign herbal products, despite its rich medicinal plant resources and growing scientific expertise, as a form of economic and medical dependence that required urgent attention.
According to her, strengthening the production and distribution of locally developed medicines would help improve their accessibility while creating opportunities for growth within Nigeria’s pharmaceutical sector.
At the summit, ABUAD unveiled three of its pharmaceutical products: AB Mal, ABUAD Virucidine and AB Health Animation 250mg.
The presentation formed part of the university’s efforts to expand the market reach of its products and establish stronger distribution channels through partnerships with pharmaceutical marketers.
Afolabi explained that the initiative was informed by the vision of the university’s founder, Aare Afe Babalola, to ensure that Nigerians could increasingly access medicines developed and manufactured within the country.
She said the immediate objective of the summit was to develop an effective marketing strategy that would take the university’s pharmaceutical products to a wider Nigerian market.
“The ultimate reason we are here today is to establish a marketing plan that will help us take these products to the Nigerian people,” she said.
The summit brought together the university and industry stakeholders to explore ways of improving the visibility, distribution and acceptance of its pharmaceutical products.
