Diplomatic Correspondent
Nigeria has urged Bangladesh to set up pharmaceutical industries in joint ventures to penetrate the growing African markets.
The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) of Nigeria, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye has proposed this at a virtual meeting with Director General (Additional Secretary) Md. Alamgir Hossain at a Zoom meeting on Monday.
Bangladesh High Commissioner to Nigeria Miah Md. Mainul Kabir and Director General (Africa) ATM Abdur Rouf Mondol attended the online meeting.
The Nigerian delegation proposed joint pharmaceutical manufacture in Nigeria following their 5+5 policy as well as technology transfer. To initiate the process, the Nigerian team has shown their interest in signing an MOU with the Bangladeshi team in this regard….
The Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA), Bangladesh and their counterpart National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigeria held a virtual meeting on technical assessment and strategic recommendations for Bangladesh-Nigeria pharmaceuticals cooperation, said a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In an opening remark, the Director General (Africa) welcomed both sides to engage in-depth technical discussion to find a practical pathway to strengthen cooperation in the field of pharmaceuticals between Bangladesh and Nigeria.
The Bangladesh High Commissioner to Nigeria delivered remarks, underlining the High Commission’s sustained efforts to promote Bangladesh–Nigeria bilateral relations as well as strengthen cooperation in pharmaceutical sectors.
He also proposed a visit of a Nigerian delegation to Bangladesh to explore the pharmaceutical industries in Bangladesh. The Director General (NAFDAC) expressed interest in the importation of pharmaceutical products and vaccines from Bangladesh.
Director General (DGDA) focused on the importance of the feasibility study of the Nigerian Market for the requirements of the vaccine manufacturers. Bangladesh is getting expertise in vaccine and similar drug productions, in which some of them have their own Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API).
The Bangladesh delegation proposed forming two committees i.e. Joint Working Group consisted of representatives from DGDA-NAFDAC and a Multilateral Committee composed of representatives from DGDA, NAFDAC and Pharmaceutical Industries of both the countries. These committees can frame the MOU based on the practical demands and may also propose recommendations on the API export, Technology Transfer, Joint Pharmaceutical Manufacture and other related issues.
Both sides engaged in a frank and constructive discussion acknowledging the substantial untapped potential in the field of pharmaceuticals between the two countries and agreed on the importance of sustained, technical-level engagement to translate today’s dialogue into concrete outcomes. The meeting was a significant milestone to forge a substantive partnership on pharmaceutical cooperation between Bangladesh and Nigeria.
