NAFDAC DG Adeyeye Honoured At UK House Of Lords For Regulatory Reforms

The Director General of Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, has received the Special African Leadership Commendation Award at the 16th African Business Leadership Awards (ABLA) held at the House of Lords in London.

The award, presented by the African Leadership Organisation (ALO), recognised Adeyeye’s leadership in transforming NAFDAC into one of Africa’s leading medicines regulatory agencies.

According to the organisers, the honour followed a rigorous assessment of her leadership and the agency’s institutional reforms since she assumed office in November 2017.

Adeyeye inherited an agency burdened with more than ₦3.2 billion in debt, obsolete laboratory equipment, limited operational vehicles, poor staff morale and minimal digital infrastructure.

NAFDAC was also rated below Level One on the World Health Organisation’s Global Benchmarking Tool.

Under her leadership, the agency cleared its inherited debt, invested more than ₦7 billion in laboratory equipment, procured over 150 operational vehicles and digitised about 90 per cent of its regulatory processes.

NAFDAC also secured ISO 9001 certification in 2019, which it has maintained through successive recertifications.

The agency achieved WHO Global Benchmarking Maturity Level 3 in 2022 and successfully retained the status following a re-benchmarking exercise in 2025.

It has also secured WHO Prequalification for its Central Drug Laboratory in Lagos, attained pre-applicant status in the Pharmaceutical Inspection and Cooperation Scheme (PIC/S), and became Nigeria’s gateway into the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH), strengthening the country’s standing in global pharmaceutical regulation.

NAFDAC said its “Five Plus Five” regulatory policy has contributed to a 70 per cent reduction in the importation of medicines already manufactured locally, boosting domestic pharmaceutical production and encouraging renewed investment by international drug manufacturers.

Speaking after receiving the award, Adeyeye dedicated the honour to NAFDAC staff.

“I accept this honour not for myself alone, but on behalf of the dedicated men and women of NAFDAC whose tireless work makes every achievement attributed to my leadership possible,” she said.

The two-day African Business Leadership Awards, themed “From Vision to Velocity: Driving Africa’s Next Wave of Growth and Leadership,” featured discussions on governance, innovation and economic development across the continent.

Before the awards ceremony, Adeyeye delivered a keynote address on the future of African universities, advocating curriculum reforms, greater digitisation and stronger alignment with global regulatory standards.

NAFDAC said it is now working towards achieving WHO Maturity Level 4 and World Listed Authority status, milestones expected to enhance global acceptance of medicines manufactured in Nigeria and position the country as a pharmaceutical export hub.