Nigeria Secures $5.5 Billion Health Investments, Launches Pharmaceutical Training Academy

Under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria has secured $5.5 billion in private sector funding for 22 new large-scale health sector manufacturing projects. According to the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, the Federal Government has also partnered with the Empower School of Health (Geneva) to establish the Empower Academy Nigeria — Africa’s foremost pharmaceutical manufacturing training institute.

This development follows Nigeria’s recent success in securing €1 billion from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and $1 billion from Afreximbank to support health sector value chain localization.

Empower Academy Nigeria will:

– Focus on training a world-class workforce for pharmaceutical manufacturing.

– Support local production of pharmaceutical excipients, APIs, inhalers, extended-release medications, dermatological patches, and more.

– Train and upskill up to 2,000 Nigerian professionals annually.

-Offer certification courses in collaboration with Africa CDC, WHO, UNITAR, and the International Federation of Pharmacists (FIP).

– Feature cutting-edge equipment and facilities for training in process engineering, regulatory compliance, quality control, and environmental monitoring.

According to the Coordinating Minister (@muhammadpate), this initiative marks a historic step in Nigeria’s drive for health sector self-sufficiency and global best practice adoption.

@Fmohnigeria

— Yusuf, Personal Assistant on Special Duties to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

The chairman of Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Solomon Adeola has denied news report that the Administration of former President Mohammadu Buhari borrowed $400 billion to stabilize the naira against the dollar during his tenure.

Contrary to the report in some major newspapers and some online blogs on Saturday April 26,2025, the senator at his Town Hall Meeting/ Mega Empowerment Programme with constituents in Ayetoro, Ogun State, speaking mostly in local Yoruba language, has justified the removal of oil subsidy and the floating of the exchange rate by the incumbent administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu saying without these bold fiscal policies, Nigerian economy was headed for a collapse.

Senator Adeola stated that previous administrations have been spending trillions of naira on fuel subsidy and defending the naira against the dollar adding that this was to the benefit of a very negligible number of Nigerians while Nigeria accumulated huge national debt.

At no point did the senator mentioned the name of the former President Buhari or made specific reference to his administration as incurring a debt of $400billion. It is therefore clear that the debt figure attributed to former President Buhari administration is a misquotation from reporters’ translation of the senator’s speech from Yoruba to English language.

The misquotation must have come about from confusing 40 for 400 in translation as the figure of debt for previous administrations. It is also noted that most of the reporters of the major newspapers that reported the misquotation did not personally attend the event and relied on some online blogs for their story.

Senator Adeola holds former President Buhari in high esteem and acknowledge his valiant efforts in piloting the economy under the circumstance he found it during his tenure.

The price of a 50kg bag of rice has dropped to N58,000 in some parts of Nigeria, particularly around remote areas, amid imports from the Republic of Benin, a report by S&P Global has said.

The report said that the West African parboiled rice market has slumped to a near two-year low as supplies flood into regional markets following India’s removal of export duties on parboiled rice.

A 50kg bag of rice has dropped from N80,000 to N58,000 as a result of the influx of the commodity to neighbouring Benin Republic, from where it enters Nigeria.

Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity, reports that the influx of lower-priced rice from India has filled warehouses to capacity in Benin, according to market participants.

Between September and December, India was said to have exported approximately 2.11 million metric tonnes of parboiled rice to West Africa, up sharply from 720,000 metric tonnes in the same period of 2023.

According to the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority, in 2024 as a whole, India exported 5.35 million metric tonnes of parboiled rice to West Africa, up from 3.9 million metric tonnes in 2023.

Commenting, a trader based in Togo said the current situation in almost every region of West Africa is the same, quiet and bearish.

As Nigeria, the largest rice market for Benin, continues to illegally import rice from Benin, both local and imported rice prices in Nigeria have plummeted over the past two weeks.

It was said that the price for a 50kg local rice had dropped from N80,000 or N90,000 to N60,000, while Indian imported rice prices have dropped to N80,000.

“Despite the price decline, demand has not risen correspondingly. With prices continuing to slide daily, buyers are adopting a cautious approach, waiting for stabilisation before making purchases,” the report said.

A trader based in Benin said demand was only likely to increase once the Christmas season comes into focus around September.

Our correspondent reports that Nigeria is the major consumer of rice imported into the Benin Republic.

Despite the ban on the importation of rice, the commodity remains the most smuggled product, even as the Nigerian Customs Service has sleepless nights battling rice smugglers.

… Describes the honour bestowed on him as a testament to the developmental impacts contributed to the Gbaramatu Kingdom and his youth empowerment initiatives

… Applauds Chief Godfrey Pondi on his Remarkable Humanitarian legacies

The National Executive and Board of Trustees of the Host Communities Producing Oil, Gas and Pipeline Impacted States Youth Council of Nigeria (HOSTCON Youth Council) have extended their heartfelt congratulation to Ambassador Chief Godfrey Tare Pondi, General Manager of Operations at Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, on his well-deserved conferment as Ibe-Ebidouwei of the ancient Gbaramatu Kingdom, Delta State.

In a statement released on Friday, shortly after the conferment by revered Delta monarch, His Royal Majesty Oboro Gbaraun II, the National President of HOSTCON Youth Council, Snr. Comrade Emmanuel Fiawei Pathfinder (popularly known as General OSAMA), described the chieftaincy honour bestowed on the revered security expert as a fitting recognition of his enduring humanitarian contributions and his unwavering commitment to sustainable youth empowerment across the Niger Delta region.

Fiawei Pathfinder noted that Chief Pondi’s consistent efforts to uplift lives align seamlessly with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted in 2015, emphasizing his alignment with global best practices in human and community development in the Niger Delta.

Beyond his notable achievements in the security sector, Comrade Pathfinder noted that Chief Pondi has become a beacon of hope and transformation through his philanthropy and developmental initiatives. “Since 2002, his leadership has significantly propelled Tantita Security Services’ operational excellence.

He also noted that his dedication to community empowerment, education support, and outreach to underserved and underprivileged communities has earned him widespread admiration and respect.

In the education sector, one of his standout initiatives, the Godfrey Pondi Book Club launched in 2015, has successfully fostered a culture of reading among the Ijaw people, with a clear aim to enrich minds and reshape perspectives with the wisdom of globally acclaimed authors.

In recognition of his impactful contributions to both professional and grassroots development, Chief Pondi was honoured as GbaramatuVoice’s Most Outstanding Youth Leader of the Year in 2020.

“HOSTCON Youth Council celebrates this new milestone in Chief Pondi’s illustrious journey, reaffirming our support and admiration for a leader who continues to inspire generations.”

” The significance of this chieftaincy conferment on the illustrious son of the Ancient Gbaramatu Kingdom by the revered monarch, His Royal Majesty Oboro Gbaraun II, on the eve of the widely celebrated Amaseikumor Annual Festival Fiesta in Oporoza Community, under Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, on the 25th of April 2025 — being a historic day — means a lot to us in the HOSTCON Youth Council of Nigeria.”

“This honour bestowed on him serves as a beacon of hope to the Niger Delta region and is truly remarkable. It is also in recognition of the laudable, immense, and selfless sacrifices and contributions of Amb. Chief Godfrey Tare Pondi in the struggle for the emancipation of the Niger Delta.”

“He stands as one of the highly respected, outstanding, and dependable pillar of support to High Chief Dr. Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo (a.k.a. Tompolo) in the journey of the Niger Delta emancipation struggle.”

“Therefore, Amb. Chief Godfrey Tare Pondi truly deserves this great honour which is being widely celebrated by all well meaning sons and daughters of the Ancient Gbaramatu Kingdom, the Ijaw Nation, the Niger Delta region and Nigeria at large,” Pathfinder added.