Korede Abdullah 
Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye
LAGOS, Nigeria – Nigeria’s drug regulator NAFDAC sets its sights on the World Health Organisation’s Maturity Level Four, signalling a push for global regulatory excellence and stronger local pharmaceutical production.
The Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, outlines the ambition on Wednesday during a media briefing reviewing reforms since 2018.
“Our priorities are sustainability, innovation and public health protection,” Adeyeye says.
NAFDAC already attains WHO Maturity Level Three for medicines regulation in 2022, successfully revalidated in 2025. Adeyeye describes the journey as demanding but transformative.
“Nigeria moves from struggling to excellent and is now globally recognised,” she says.
The improved standing earns Nigeria admission in 2025 as the 24th member of the International Council for Harmonisation, strengthening its global regulatory influence.
Adeyeye reveals that over 70 per cent of products under key policy initiatives are now locally manufactured, reducing reliance on imports and boosting supply security.
She says the agency is transitioning from basic digitalisation to artificial intelligence-driven ‘intelligent regulation’, improving drug approval, monitoring and safety systems.
“Modernisation is not aspirational,” Adeyeye says. “It is delivering measurable results that safeguard lives.”
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