Made in Nigeria
FG wants Nigerians to treat themselves with made in Nigeria medicine
Good morning, Big Brains. TW - femicide and rape. This isn’t the edition I hoped to write on a Friday but I know that this isn’t the end Rebecca and Christianah imagined for themselves. For the sake of my sanity, I have uninstalled my X app for now. It’s okay if you need to take a break too.
- Margaret
Word count: ~1,000
Reading time ~3 mins
Let’s get into today’s edition:
Nigeria to make 70% of Its medicines locally
Bill Gates Foundation invests $2.8 billion to improve Nigeria’s healthcare, agriculture, and nutrition
Ugandan Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei dies after being attacked by her ex-boyfriend
The Big Deal
Nigeria to make 70% of its medicines locally
We’re talking “Made in Nigeria”, we are talking drugs (you’ll think we ate with this if you’re chronically online). The federal government has slept on the country’s pharmaceutical industry for way too long, but looks like they’re finally ready to do something.
For FG’s first trick, it will be investing heavily in the pharmaceutical industry to drive local drug production to 70%. This year alone, the government has managed to increase local production from 30% to 40%.
The idea is to get Nigeria to a state of self-sufficiency and reduce importation of drugs from Western countries to about 10% aka the barest minimum.
You probably have questions about the quality of these drugs and from our research, well, Swiss Pharma Nigeria Ltd antimalarial drugs have already been officially recognised by WHO. Swiss Pharma is also the first local producer in Nigeria, and in West and Central Africa, to have two of its products on this list.
Why is this a big deal?
One of the reasons the Federal Government decided to invest more in this industry is the discovery that over 50% of imported drugs in Nigeria had fake certificates. The decision to invest in locally made drugs will save Nigerians from the danger of consuming fake drugs. Fake medical products kill nearly half a million people in sub-Saharan Africa every year so imagine the lives this initiative will save.
The benefits extend beyond saving lives; they will also create more jobs for Nigerians and help the government generate additional revenue to invest in both the pharmaceutical and health sectors.
Bill Gates Foundation invests $2.8 billion to improve Nigeria’s healthcare, agriculture, and nutrition
If the weather seems more cloudy than usual today, it’s because Bill Gates, co-chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is making some serious dollar bills rain today.
Gates is investing $2.8 billion in Nigeria to boost healthcare, nutrition, and agriculture. The billionaire isn’t new to being a big spender, especially in Nigeria where he has proven to be passionate about development.
After extensive research, Gates found out that Nigeria is spending just ₦3,000 on each citizen’s primary healthcare annually. He believes that “without health, there can be no opportunity,” and that’s one of the reasons he’s so invested in Nigeria’s health sector.
He also showed concern over Nigeria's food insecurity which is getting worse because of climate change and lack of investment in agriculture. He recommended increased funding for farming infrastructure and the adoption of crop varieties.
While Gates’s investment might not solve every problem overnight, an amount as hefty as $2.8 billion is definitely a great start.
Ugandan Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei dies after being attacked by her ex-boyfriend
Ugandan Olympic marathon runner Rebecca Cheptegei has tragically died after being attacked and severely burned by her former boyfriend in Kenya. The attack happened outside her home after she returned from church. According to some eyewitnesses, Cheptegei had been involved in a land dispute with her ex-partner.
Cheptegei, who competed in the Paris Olympics and won gold at the 2022 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships, was known for her achievements and had recently settled in Kenya for training. Her former boyfriend, who also suffered burns, is in stable condition.
In Nigeria, 21-year-old Christianah Idowu was abducted and murdered by Ayomide Adeleye, a 200 Level Philosophy student of the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU). His confession to the Nigerian Army ended a two-week search for the girl who vanished on August 19 while travelling to her internship at the University of Lagos. While Nigerians on X were sharing and calling for crowdfunding, he later confessed to killing her the same day she went missing.
Nigerians, who have been occupied with calling for justice for 14-year-old Mercy who was raped by 15-year-old Goodluck Bison, have now started calling for justice for Christianah too.
The Big Picks
First Delivery Of Mpox Vaccines Arrives In DR Congo: On Thursday, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the centre of an mpox outbreak, received its first batch of vaccines—nearly half of the 200,000 doses donated by the European Union. The rest are expected to arrive by the end of the week to help control the outbreak.
Reps Minority Caucus Demands Petrol Price Hike Reversal: The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has strongly criticised the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) for recently announcing a hike in petrol prices.
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