The Federal Government has introduced measures to halt the importation of counterfeit and substandard pharmaceutical products through seaport, followingban annual loss of N200 billion.
A 2019 PwC report estimated that Nigeria was losing about N200 billion annually to counterfeit medicine, excluding substandard drugs.
Because of this, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has also introduced Port Inspection Data Capture and Risk Management System (PIDCARMS), an electronic platform to enhance document verification and streamline inspection processes drugs imports through the seaports.
Also, it has increased efforts to block the entry of substandard and counterfeit products into Nigeria, particularly from China and India, the country’s two largest pharmaceutical trade partners.
In addition to appointing CRIA agents in China and India, NAFDAC is collaborating with COTECNA, a global testing, inspection and certification service provider, to enhance quality control measures.
The Director General of the agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, noted that the Clean Report of Inspection and Analysis (CRIA) scheme had significantly strengthened regulatory control over imports from these nations.
Previously, China and India accounted for 70 per cent of Nigeria’s pharmaceutical imports; NAFAC’s push for local manufacturing has reduced that figure to 60 per cent.
Despite this progress, counterfeit and substandard medicines from these countries continue to pose a serious threat. She explained: “Because most of these drugs come from China and India, the CRIA scheme is operational in those two countries.
It ensures that only safe and highquality products are shipped while preventing the export of substandard and counterfeit products.
“I strongly encourage you to engage with CRIA agents before shipping any consignment–that is, to our stakeholders– from China, India, or Nigeria.
You have the flexibility to choose from any of the listed CRIA agents to ensure compliance and safeguard the quality of imported products.”
She noted that NAFDAC had appointed and accredited CRIA agents in China and India to conduct rigorous pre-shipment inspections to tackle the issue at the source.
Adeyeye advised stakeholders to engage with these CRIA agents before shipping any consignment to Nigeria. To prevent such lapses and ensure only approved products enter Nigeria, stakeholders were strongly encouraged to visit NAFDAC’s official website for guidelines on product registration, labelling and shipment requirements to ensure compliance with regulatory standards.
Between 2023 and 2024, a total of N1.57 trillion ($980.24 million) pharmaceutical products were imported through the country’s seaports from India despite efforts by the Federal Government to check influx of counterfeit drugs into the country by making procurement of Active Pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) compulsory.
However, some Indian compa – nies are still shipping fake drugs to the country, leading to interception of banned drugs from India valued at N84.9 billion at Apapa, Onne Port and Tincan Island port in 2024 by Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
Meanwhile, the country is expected to import some drugs valued at N675 billion ($450 million) from India in 2025.
According to Statista, it is 24.5 per cent of the $1.84 billion of pharmaceuticals market of Nigeria in 2025, saying that the compound annual growth rate is expected to be 6.44 per cent between 2025 and 2029, leading to a market volume of $2.36 billion by 2029.
With counterfeit medicines so prevalent, it is estimated that only 30 per cent of Nigerians have access to authenticated medicines.
The drugs were jointly intercepted by Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as most of the drugs were ferried by the cartels from China, Canada, Brazil, India and the United Kingdom.
