Nigeria's healthcare system is hemorrhaging trained pharmacists at an alarming rate, with about 9,000 professionals leaving the country in the four-and-a-half years preceding December 2025, according to data from the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria National Secretariat. More than 850 additional pharmacists emigrated in the first half of 2026 alone, obtaining letters of good standing from the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria before departing mainly to Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria has identified a critical gap in the nation's ability to train specialist pharmacists domestically. They're calling for the establishment of a National Postgraduate College of Pharmacy to address what they describe as a worsening workforce crisis across manufacturing, clinical pharmacy, community pharmacy, public health pharmacy, and other essential areas.
A Training System Under Strain
Currently, only the West Africa Postgraduate College of Pharmacists handles advanced pharmaceutical training at the sub-regional level. National Chairman Pharm. Ezeh Ambrose Igwekamma, speaking during the opening ceremony of the ACPN 45th Annual National Scientific Conference in Abuja recently, said most countries including Ghana have abandoned the WAPCP for their own national colleges. Nigeria now funds over 95 per cent of the subsidy gap to sustain the sub-regional college in foreign exchange.
Igwekamma warned that the pharmaceutical sector would continue facing shortages of specialist pharmacists in hospitals, clinical settings, manufacturing, community practice, public health, and pharmaceutical administration without urgent action. The crisis has been compounded by what he called a "not-too-impressive reward system" that pushes qualified professionals abroad.
Structural Failures and Weak Enforcement
The National Drug Distribution Guidelines, enacted 11 years ago in 2015, remain inadequately enforced. This has resulted in undefined public drug procurement policies that leave the pharmaceutical sector vulnerable to inefficiency and exploitation. ACPN said the pharmacy workforce development plan must be strengthened to build a pool of skilled professionals capable of meeting the country's healthcare needs.
The association called on governments at all levels to confront structural deficiencies affecting pharmacy practice and national drug control. They're advocating for sweeping reforms including amendments to the nation's fake drug law to impose stiffer penalties, establishment of a Drug Management Agency to strengthen medicine distribution, and creation of a National Postgraduate College of Pharmacy.
Weak Sanctions Enable Drug Abuse Crisis
Existing sanctions for counterfeit medicines are too weak to deter offenders, according to ACPN, discouraging legitimate investors in the pharmaceutical industry. Igwekamma said the activities of unqualified practitioners aren't being adequately addressed because of what he called "the extremely feeble sanction culture the Fake Drug Act offers."
ACPN is calling for 20 years' imprisonment for first offenders and life imprisonment, along with outright forfeiture of all known assets, for subsequent offenders. They also urged the government to institutionalize the Drug Revolving Fund system through legislation that would streamline public procurement and distribution of medicines through a central pool.
The National Council on Health resolved about 2 years ago in December 2024 that all public procurement of medicines should be undertaken through the Drug Revolving Fund, but this requires clearer legislative backing. Establishing a dedicated Drug Management Agency would remove ambiguities surrounding medicine procurement, streamline nationwide distribution through a centralized system, and strengthen regulatory oversight, according to ACPN.
Substance Abuse Reveals Systemic Gaps
The association cited a 2018 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime national survey with 2017 findings that revealed extensive abuse of psychoactive substances across Nigeria. Cannabis was identified as the most abused substance, followed by opioids, codeine-containing cough syrups, sedatives, tranquillizers, ecstasy, solvents, inhalants, prescription stimulants, and cocaine.
United Nations records indicated that more than 21 million Nigerians were abusing various psychoactive substances. ACPN attributed the persistence of substance abuse to dysfunctional family environments, youth unemployment, poverty, peer influence, inadequate public awareness, and ignorance of the harmful consequences of drug misuse.
Igwekamma suggested the federal government establish a Presidential Committee on the pharmaceutical sector to advance legislative reforms and address specific challenges facing the industry. He urged support for executive bills or private member bills to amend the Fake Drug Act, establish a Drug Management Agency, and create a National Postgraduate College of Pharmacy to train specialist pharmacists locally.
Why This Matters:
The mass exodus of nearly 10,000 pharmacists over five years represents a devastating loss of human capital that Nigeria's public health system can't afford. Without specialist training available domestically, the country faces a vicious cycle: inadequate training infrastructure pushes professionals abroad, worsening shortages that make remaining conditions even less sustainable. The failure to enforce 11-year-old drug distribution guidelines and the weakness of sanctions against counterfeit medicines reveal a regulatory vacuum that harms patients and legitimate businesses alike. More than 21 million Nigerians abusing psychoactive substances need a functioning pharmaceutical system with trained professionals and proper oversight. The proposed reforms—a National Postgraduate College, stronger enforcement, centralized procurement—represent essential infrastructure for a healthcare system that serves its population rather than exports its most qualified practitioners. Without urgent government action, Nigeria's pharmaceutical workforce crisis will deepen, leaving vulnerable communities with fewer protections and less access to quality care.