NAFDAC has announced a bold commitment to harnessing digital technologies to expand Nigerians’ access to safe, quality medicines and to elevate the nation’s healthcare system.
Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General of NAFDAC, made this known at a panel discussion in Abuja during the unveiling of the Care365 Digital Health Hub. According to Adeyeye, digital transformation is already underway within NAFDAC, with approximately 72 percent of its operations now conducted through digital platforms. This shift, she said, is boosting transparency, improving process efficiency, and connecting Nigeria’s regulatory systems to the wider global community.
She emphasized that achieving the World Health Organization’s regulatory Maturity Level 4 depends on increased digitization. “The WHO expects robust regulatory agencies to go digital,” Adeyeye said.
One notable advancement is the integration of NAFDAC’s Green Book—a comprehensive list of more than 7,000 approved medicinal products—into the Care365 Health Hub platform. This development will soon allow physicians affiliated with Care365 to safely prescribe only certified medicines to their patients.
Prof. Adeyeye also outlined several digital tools NAFDAC has deployed: the agency’s digital track-and-trace system successfully monitored millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses and now helps protect the supply chain for narcotics and maternal and child health commodities, reducing counterfeit threats. The Scan-to-Verify App empowers consumers to instantly confirm the authenticity of medicines, while the Med Safety App has helped over 20,000 healthcare workers nationwide detect and report adverse drug reactions and vaccine side effects, especially during the pandemic.
She further revealed that NAFDAC, in collaboration with the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), is advancing efforts to achieve WHO’s Maturity Level 4. Together, they aim to connect licensed pharmacies digitally to care providers, ensuring safer pharmaceutical practices nationwide.
Adding to the conversation, Dr. Muyi Aina, Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), reiterated the agency’s dedication to broadening healthcare access. The goal: establish 17,000 fully functional Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the country.
Dr. Aina noted that over 3,000 PHCs are currently being upgraded with support from regional development agencies, of which about 1,200 are already completed. The NPHCDA has also retrained 9,000 healthcare personnel serving rural communities, with plans to upskill an additional 120,000 health workers soon.
He also highlighted that the agency is shifting to e-learning for workforce development and making health records digital to streamline data sharing across healthcare facilities.
