JUST IN: NAFDAC DG Mojisola Adeyeye receives African Leadership Award in London

Business, Corporate Affairs, Health

LONDON, United Kingdom (NPA) — Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has received the Special African Leadership Commendation Award at the 16th African Business Leadership Awards (ABLA) held at the House of Lords, Palace of Westminster, London.

The award, presented by the African Leadership Organisation (ALO), recognises her leadership in transforming NAFDAC through institutional reforms, regulatory excellence and digital innovation.

According to NAFDAC, the recognition followed an assessment of the agency’s performance since Adeyeye assumed office in November 2017.

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The agency said her administration eliminated inherited debts, modernised laboratories and regulatory infrastructure, digitised about 90 per cent of its regulatory processes, strengthened quality management systems and secured ISO 9001 certification.

NAFDAC also attained the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Benchmarking Maturity Level 3 in 2022 and successfully retained the status following a re-benchmarking exercise in 2025.

The agency further highlighted milestones, including the WHO prequalification of its Central Drug Laboratory, Nigeria’s Pre-Accession Pre-Applicant status in the Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme (PIC/S), and membership of the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH).

NAFDAC said Adeyeye’s reforms have also strengthened local pharmaceutical manufacturing through the implementation of the Five Plus Five Regulatory Directive, which promotes domestic drug production and reduces reliance on imported medicines.

Speaking after receiving the award, Adeyeye dedicated the honour to NAFDAC staff, describing it as recognition of their professionalism and commitment to safeguarding public health.

She reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s regulatory systems and advancing internationally recognised standards to support healthcare delivery and economic development.

The award ceremony formed part of the two-day African Business Leadership Awards programme, themed “From Vision to Velocity: Driving Africa’s Next Wave of Growth and Leadership.”

Adeyeye also delivered a keynote address on innovation, digitisation and regulatory excellence, highlighting the role of effective medicines regulation in advancing public health and economic development across Africa.