ESUT plans drug production to reduce import dependence

…VC seeks increased admission quota for Pharmacy programme By Chioma Nnabuenyi The Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) has announced plans to establish pharmaceutical drug production facilities as part of efforts to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported medicines and strengthen local pharmaceutical manufacturing. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof.

Aloysius-Michaels Okolie, disclosed this on Monday while receiving an accreditation team from the National Universities Commission (NUC) assessing the university’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Okolie said the proposed facilities would serve a dual purpose of contributing to domestic drug supply and providing students with practical training in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

He urged pharmacists and other stakeholders in the pharmaceutical sector to embrace experiential learning and move beyond theoretical instruction to hands-on drug production, stressing the importance of building local capacity to meet the country’s pharmaceutical needs. According to him, establishing drug production facilities within the university would equip students with the practical skills required to compete in the pharmaceutical industry while supporting efforts to reduce reliance on imported medicines.

The Vice-Chancellor said the university had prioritised the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences through the provision of critical infrastructure and scientific equipment to enhance teaching, learning and research. He also appealed to the NUC accreditation team to consider increasing the faculty’s existing admission quota, assuring the team of the university management’s full cooperation and support throughout the accreditation exercise.

Earlier, the leader of the accreditation team, Prof. Florence Eichie, said the visit was not intended to witch-hunt the university but to assess the facilities and resources available for teaching and research in the Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) programme. Eichie explained that the exercise was designed to evaluate the university’s capacity to deliver quality pharmaceutical education in line with the NUC’s accreditation requirements.

She solicited the cooperation of the university management, staff and students to ensure a smooth and successful exercise.