Nigeria and Barbados Sign Landmark Pharmaceutical MoU

On November 25, 2025, Barbados Pharmaceutical Inc. (BPI) and Nigeria's Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Abuja, advancing pharmaceutical cooperation between the two countries.

PVAC National Coordinator Dr. Abdu Mukhtar and BPI CEO Colin Scaife signed the agreement, which was witnessed by Barbados' Minister of Health and Wellness, Senator Dr. the Most Honourable Jerome Walcott, and Nigeria's Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate.

What The Agreement Covers

The MoU establishes a comprehensive framework for collaboration across four areas:

1. Industrial capacity and human capital development
2. Market access and market shaping
3. Clinical trial cooperation
4. Regulatory, financing and policy alignment.

This agreement follows months of high-level engagement between the two health ministries and builds on ongoing collaboration with AMA Medical Manufacturing, a Nigerian biopharmaceutical company considering a manufacturing facility in Barbados.

What the Ministers Said

Speaking at the signing, Minister Pate emphasized Nigeria's commitment to expanding local production under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Executive Order, which targets 70 percent domestic production of essential medicines and medical devices by 2030.


"This partnership opens new pathways for investment, innovation, and regional integration. Nigeria is pleased to join hands with Barbados to shape a future where our nations produce the medicines our populations depend on," Pate said.

Dr. Walcott described the partnership as a milestone for regional health security, noting its alignment with Prime Minister Mia Mottley's vision of a transatlantic pharmaceutical bridge connecting Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America.


"This MOU represents a decisive step in strengthening health sovereignty for both regions. Barbados sees Nigeria as a strategic partner in advancing industrial capability, technology transfer, and shared health security across the Global South," Walcott said.

PVAC's Dr. Mukhtar described the agreement as a practical framework for collaboration, highlighting areas such as technical capacity building and human capital development. He noted that PVAC and BPI are exploring how the Empower Academy, PVAC's workforce training initiative, could support the partnership's human capital objectives. Mukhtar also stated that Nigeria is establishing a national regulatory agency and is in discussions with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) regarding a further regulatory agreement.

Under the MoU, the two countries will develop a Barbados-Nigeria pharmaceutical skills pathway covering sterile manufacturing, quality control, and regulatory training, alongside reciprocal market access, giving Nigerian producers entry into CARICOM and Latin America and Barbados-based manufacturers entry into ECOWAS and the wider African market through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The agreement also initiates discussions toward a regulatory reliance arrangement between NAFDAC and Barbados' emerging Medical Products Regulatory Authority.

As part of the visit, the Barbados delegation engaged directly with AMA Medical Manufacturing and toured existing biomedical facilities in Nigeria, setting the stage for the proposed Barbados-based production hub. Coordinating Minister Pate pointed to Nigeria's expanding market and improving regulatory environment as key conditions for the partnership's success, stating that the country's "rapidly growing market, a strengthened regulatory system under NAFDAC, and expanding primary healthcare infrastructure" create the ideal environment for transformative partnerships of this kind.

Sources

The Nation Online: https://thenationonlineng.net/nigeria-barbados-seal-local-production-regional-health-security-mou/

Trinidad Guardian: https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/barbados-signs-agreement-with-nigeria-6.2.2458707.cc059718dd

CBC Barbados: https://www.cbc.bb/main-stories/mou-to-strengthen-barbados-pharmaceutical-capacity/