The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has inaugurated a 600-member Pharmacists Reserve Volunteer Programme aimed at strengthening medicine regulation and extending the Agency’s reach across Nigeria.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, who presided over the inauguration, described the programme as a strategic investment in the country’s regulatory future.
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Professor Adeyeye said the initiative would expand NAFDAC’s capacity to monitor medicines and other regulated products in markets, community pharmacies and primary healthcare centres across the country.
She explained that the volunteers were selected from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory through a transparent, merit-based process designed to ensure representation across the six geopolitical zones.
According to her, the programme will establish a standing national reserve of trained pharmacists who can be deployed during product recalls, outbreaks involving falsified medicines and other public health emergencies.
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The volunteers will support NAFDAC in areas including pharmacovigilance, compliance monitoring, quality assurance, drug abuse sensitisation and enforcement activities within their respective states.
The Agency said the programme would be implemented in four phases: onboarding, virtual training, field engagement and ongoing management.
The initiative is also expected to provide participating pharmacists with practical regulatory experience and opportunities to contribute directly to the protection of public health.
Volunteers will receive professional certification as well as formal letters of service upon completion of the relevant stages of the programme.
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Professor Adeyeye charged the pharmacists to uphold the highest standards of integrity and professionalism in the discharge of their responsibilities.
She urged them to place public safety above personal interests while serving as NAFDAC’s partners in strengthening the safety and quality of medicines and other regulated products in Nigeria.