The Founder of Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, Dr Stella Okoli, has urged the Nigerian government to increase support for local pharmaceutical manufacturers, saying investment in domestic production could create jobs, conserve foreign exchange and strengthen the country’s industrial base.
She also called on pharmaceutical companies to invest in young professionals and mentorship to develop the next generation of industry leaders, arguing that building a sustainable manufacturing sector requires both government support and deliberate investment in human capital.
Okoli made the call during a chief executive officer panel on inspiring the next generation of leaders in pharmaceutical manufacturing at the just-concluded eighth Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers’ Expo 2026 in Lagos.
The event, organised by the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria in partnership with GPE Expo, brought together industry executives, regulators, policymakers and investors to discuss ways to expand pharmaceutical production across Africa.
Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry faces the challenge of building domestic manufacturing capacity while developing the skills and infrastructure needed to support production. Greater local production could reduce reliance on imported medicines and pharmaceutical inputs, although achieving that goal requires sustained investment and an enabling policy environment.
Speaking about her experience building Emzor, Okoli said the company’s emphasis on hard work, mentorship and internal career development had helped junior employees advance into management positions.
She urged young pharmacists and entrepreneurs to maintain high standards in their work, describing staff development as essential to building businesses that can endure beyond their founders.
“At Emzor Pharmaceutical, we call ourselves family because everybody is enjoying the goodness of the Lord. We encourage everybody to work hard because some of our lowest entry-level staff are now managers because we taught them, and we insisted that you must go and do it,” she said.
Okoli said the company also sought to encourage young pharmacists to consider manufacturing by allowing university students to visit its facilities and learn about the industry.
“They come and visit, they learn, and they don’t want to go back to the university. I want us to encourage all those young people so that they will join the industry,” she said.
Beyond developing talent, Okoli disclosed that Emzor was preparing to begin producing active pharmaceutical ingredients, the chemical substances responsible for the therapeutic effects of medicines.
The planned expansion would extend the company’s operations beyond finished pharmaceutical products into an important segment of the drug manufacturing value chain. However, she did not provide a timeline or investment details for the proposed production in her remarks.
She called for more direct engagement between the government and manufacturers across different sectors, urging policymakers to pay greater attention to the conditions affecting domestic production.
“The government must encourage manufacturers,” she said.
In succession planning, Okoli announced that she had stepped down as Group Managing Director, with Pharm. Uzoma Ezeoke, Executive Director for General Duties, Human Resources and Finance, taking over day-to-day leadership as managing director. Okoli remains the company’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer.
She expressed optimism about Nigeria’s industrial prospects despite the challenges facing businesses, saying sustained effort and support would be necessary to advance the country’s manufacturing ambitions.
“No matter the difficulty, no matter what the issues are, we are going places as a country, and God will lead us there,” she said.