Abuja: The Federal Government says the Coordinated Wholesale Centres (CWCs) being established across Nigeria will help eliminate the circulation of fake, substandard, and expired medicines. Mr. Bulama Yakubu, Head of Drug and Vaccine Development and Drug Distribution System at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, made this known on Tuesday in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Yakubu spoke at a meeting on the ‘Promoting Accreditation for Community Health Services (PACS)’ project, themed ‘Strengthening Private Sector Participation in Nigeria’s Health Market: Insights and Learning from PACS Project on Addressing Substandard and Falsified Medicines.’ He said the CWCs would provide a centralized structure that ensured medicines were only sourced from certified manufacturers or importers, with built-in systems for quality control and regulatory oversight.
‘With the CWCs, the sources of drugs will be known. Drugs will be moved from manufacturers to these centres, which will serve as the only point of wholesale distribution,’ Yakubu stated. He added that the centres would be equipped with NAFDAC and Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) offices, quality assurance laboratories, and police outposts to ensure security and compliance.
He also cited progress made in Anambra, Kano, Ogun, and Lagos States, noting that the open drug market in Kano had already been relocated to the new wholesale centre commissioned in February 2024. States such as Ebonyi, Imo, and Oyo have also applied to establish their own CWCs. Yakubu identified challenges such as the proliferation of open drug markets, lack of stakeholder coordination, political interference, and poor leadership as key issues affecting the drug distribution system in Nigeria.
He mentioned that the implementation of the National Drug Distribution Guidelines (NDDGs) would ensure a well-structured, efficient, and quality-assured drug supply system across the country. The guidelines also provide for the establishment of State Drug Distribution Centers (SDDCs) by state governments and Mega Drug Distribution Centres (MDDCs) by the private sector. The goal, he emphasized, is to ensure that all drugs circulating in the Nigerian market are efficacious, affordable, and of high quality.
Dr. Omokhudu Idogho, Managing Director of the Society for Family Health (SFH), highlighted that the PACS project demonstrated the capability of trained and accredited community pharmacists and Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs) in delivering high-quality services. The project focused on enabling community-based health providers to source quality medicines, follow guidelines, and integrate data into the national health system.
Mrs. Iyadunni Olubode, Country Director for MSD for Mothers in Nigeria and Kenya, stated that the organisation’s interest in the PACS project stemmed from its goal of improving access to family planning commodities, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas. She noted that community pharmacists and PPMVs were critical in improving access to reproductive health services, which could reduce maternal mortality by a significant margin.
The Registrar of PCN, Mr. Ibrahim Ahmed, represented by the Lagos Zonal Officer, Dr. Taiwo Filusi, commended the relocation of open drug markets and establishment of drug management agencies, although he noted the pace of progress was slow. The PACS project, a two-year investment under the MSD for Mothers initiative, was implemented by a consortium led by Solina Centre for International Development and Research (SCIDaR) and SFH, with the goal of improving the quality and availability of family planning and primary healthcare services at the community level.
