NAFDAC DG Adeyeye Honoured At UK House Of Lords For Regulatory Reforms –
NAFDAC Director General Receives Special Leadership Award in London
Professor Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, Director General of Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has been honored with 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), recognizes Adeyeye’s significant contributions in transforming NAFDAC into one of Africa’s premier medicines regulatory agencies. Organizers noted that her leadership and the institutional reforms undertaken since she took office in November 2017 were rigorously assessed before the award was conferred.
When Adeyeye assumed leadership, NAFDAC faced considerable challenges, including over ₦3.2 billion in debt, outdated laboratory equipment, limited operational vehicles, low staff morale, and inadequate digital infrastructure. The agency was also rated below Level One on the World Health Organization’s Global Benchmarking Tool.
Under her guidance, NAFDAC has cleared its inherited debt, invested over ₦7 billion in modern laboratory equipment, procured more than 150 operational vehicles, and digitized roughly 90 percent of its regulatory processes. The agency achieved ISO 9001 certification in 2019, maintaining the designation through successive recertifications.
In 2022, NAFDAC attained WHO Global Benchmarking Maturity Level 3, successfully retaining this status after re-benchmarking in 2025. Additionally, the agency has secured WHO Prequalification for its Central Drug Laboratory in Lagos and pre-applicant status in the Pharmaceutical Inspection and Cooperation Scheme (PIC/S), enhancing Nigeria’s position in global pharmaceutical regulation.
NAFDAC’s “Five Plus Five” regulatory policy has led to a 70 percent reduction in the importation of locally manufactured medicines, bolstering domestic pharmaceutical production and encouraging renewed investment from international drug manufacturers.
Following the award ceremony, Adeyeye dedicated the recognition to the staff of NAFDAC. “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 stated.
The two-day African Business Leadership Awards, themed “From Vision to Velocity: Driving Africa’s Next Wave of Growth and Leadership,” included discussions focused on governance, innovation, and economic development across the continent. Prior to the awards, Adeyeye delivered a keynote address discussing the future of African universities, advocating for curriculum reforms, increased digitization, and enhanced alignment with global regulatory standards.
NAFDAC is now aiming to achieve WHO Maturity Level 4 and World Listed Authority status, which are expected to improve global acceptance of Nigerian-manufactured medicines and position the country as a pharmaceutical export hub.
