West African Post Graduate College of Pharmacists in collaboration with Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria in recent information is set to engage stakeholders across Africa, in commemoration of its 34th Annual General Meeting and scientific symposium, scheduled to hold on Monday 16th through Thursday 19th of May 2022 at Welcome Center Hotel, Lagos Nigeria.
The West African Post Graduate College of Pharmacists Annual General Meeting and Scientific Symposium is a yearly event set to deliberate on topical and trending health issues to arrive at a decision that will promote health among its member states (Nigeria, The Gambia, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia).
The Theme for this year AGM and Scientific Symposium is titled “Medicine Security in the West African region; Matters Arising”.
Speaking at the pre-event press conference in Lagos, the President WAPCP, Distinguish Prof. (Mrs) Cecilia Igwilo said the event is set to engage stakeholders across Africa on the matters arising in the medicine security in African countries.
According to her, the topic is carefully selected because it captures all that is needed to foster the unparalleled corporation between the pharmaceutical industry regulatory bodies, drug distributors and the end users.
Igwilo highlighted that the West African region is fast becoming a dumping ground for all the manners of pharmaceutical products leading to consumption of substandard products.
“Drug importation has sorrowfully gifted the region with problems of substandard and falsified medicines. The huge dependence on importation, which has negatively impacted local production, is attributed to lack of basic research and development, including insufficient capacity in pharmaceutical analysis and bio-analytical techniques in the academia and the industry”.
She also stressed that inadequate training in current goods manufacturing practices is one of the major issues that need to be addressed in order to have a good drug production practice.
Reacting to the vision of the WAPCP, to be a regional and international center of excellence in training and research for post graduate pharmacy education and practice, Prof. Cecilia, said that the college has started specialized areas in the five faculties of WAPCP which she highlighted to be Clinical Pharmacy, Community Pharmacy, Drug Production and Quality Assurance Public Health Pharmacy and Social and Administrative Pharmacy.
“As a college, we remain committed to high academic and professional standards, this has, in no measures, placed our graduates far above others in terms of skills and competences in every sector of health”.
Also speaking at the conference, the Chairman conference planning committee, Pharm. Ngozi Onuorah, stated that the 34th AGM will have in attendance delegates from WAPCP member countries; Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Nigeria and Liberia and some other Francophone countries.
However, highlighting the achievements of the College, Secretary General West African Post graduate college of pharmacists, Prof. Ibrahim Oreagba, said that the College has facilitated the establishment of the school of pharmacy, University of Liberia, facilitated the establishment of the school of pharmacy University of Sierra Leone, harmonized Drug Laws and regulations in WAPCP member countries, facilitated the establishment of Quality Control Laboratories, using the machinery of World Health Organization WHO and other Non-governmental Agencies, facilitated the lifting of the ban on made in Nigeria drugs in the west African region and graduated over1,500 fellows by examination since 1997.
The following stakeholders are expected to grace the event; the Nigerian Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha, Minister of Health Osagie Ehanire, the Governor of Lagos State Babajide Sanwolu and the Commissioner for Health Akin Abayomi, being the host state.
