Investment Opportunities on the Rise as Nigeria Steps up Efforts to Strengthen Health Sector

A new focus report, produced by Oxford Business Group (OBG), highlights the opportunities for investors to contribute to the development of Nigeria’s health sector by bridging funding shortfalls for planned infrastructure projects and supporting other segments with high growth potential.

Titled “Nigeria Health”, the report provides in-depth analysis of both the health sector and pharmaceutical industry in an easy-to-navigate and accessible format that includes key data and infographics. It also includes an interview with Mojisola Adeyeye, Director General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, and contains in-depth case studies and viewpoints from key industry players, such as Fidson, Codix, GSK, Merck and Bayer.

The report explores the key role that public-private partnerships (PPPs) are expected to play in bringing a range of health care projects to fruition and helping Nigeria to achieve its ambitious goals for the sector, which include increasing the number of hospital beds to nearer the global average bed-to-population ratio of 2.7 per 1000 people.

It also considers the potential Nigeria has to boost local production capacity for consumable items, such as syringes, bandages and dressings, needles and catheters, and, in turn, reduce its import bill.

The opportunities emerging in medical technology are another focus. In this section, OBG provides in-depth coverage of the digital solutions disrupting health provision worldwide, which include extending care to underserved areas and facilitating remote diagnosis and treatments.

The report shines a spotlight on Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry, tracking the growth stories of key companies with a presence in the country and featuring contributions from high-profile industry representatives.

With Nigeria’s reliance on China and India for pharmaceuticals evident at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, OBG considers the scope for increasing local production capacity. It also notes the part that Nigeria’s Five Plus Five-Year Validity policy is expected to play in increasing partnerships between multinational pharmaceutical firms and local manufacturers.

In addition, the report examines the topical issue of counterfeit drugs, looking in detail at Nigeria’s efforts to address this and related challenges through monitoring and enforcement solutions.

Karine Loehman, OBG’s Managing Director for Africa, said that while Nigeria’s health sector continues to feel the knock-on effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and other, pre-existing challenges, the government had made notable progress in meeting key health indicators in recent years, while a successful PPP model bodes well for investors eyeing opportunities in infrastructure and other segments showing potential.

“Nigeria’s expanding population and underlying fundamentals make it an attractive proposition for the international investment community,” Loehman said. “With the pandemic having created new opportunities for expansion and innovation, and public funds limited, our report points to a health sector ripe for development, offering opportunities that range from capital projects to the provision of high-quality medical services at new and existing facilities.”

The report on Nigeria’s health sector forms part of a series of tailored studies that OBG is currently producing, which includes ESG Intelligence and Future Readiness reports, and other highly relevant, go-to research tools, such as country-specific Growth and Recovery Outlook articles and interviews.