By Clement Olumba
The Pharmaceutical Wholesalers and Distributors Association of Nigeria (PWDAN) has announced its readiness to host the 4th Thematic General Assembly of the African Pharmaceutical Distribution Association (APDA) in Lagos Nigeria, from the 6th to 8th October, 2026. This was made known at a press conference on Tuesday September 22, 2026 put together by PWDAN at the corporate headquarters of New Heights Pharmaceutical company. In an address read to the press by the Association Chairman, Pharm. Ogheneochuko Omaruaye he said ” APDA is a Pan African non profit organization with the core objective to improve the efficient medicine distribution, promote supply chain integrity, digitize distribution networks and combat substandard and falsified medicines across Africa by uniting national associations like PWDAN.”
According to Pharm. Omaruaye, PWDAN was formed to promote integrity in the pharma supply chain by collaborating with the regulators and other stakeholders in the industry.
The theme for this year Conference is ” Advancing Pharmaceutical Distribution in Africa: Building Secure Supply Chains Against Falsified Medicines.”
Regarding the importance of the conference, he stated that “Recent investigations and enforcement actions have exposed the scale of the challenges. Major commercial centers across Nigeria and the rest of Africa, have been identified as significant hotspots for the circulation and redistribution of counterfeit medicines. These locations serve not only local markets but also wider distribution networks that extend across states and national borders.”
Responding to the question of relationship between the association and the regulators, Pharm. Omaruaye stated that they have a healthy and robust relationship with NAFDAC as well as other related regulatory body, insisting that their facilities are often visited by NAFDAC in their pursuit to ensure high standards are maintained. Also the immediate past Chairman of PWDAN, Pharm. Ernest Okafor reacting to a question, said that APDA is working with governments of member countries to fight the challenges of illegal trans border movement of falsified drugs.
The association revealed that it has been at the forefront advocating for more concrete legislative actions. They urged the press to join the association through its power of information dissemination to reach the remote places with it’s message of the importance of clean, healthy and approved drugs to fight against the falsified ones. The Pharmaceutical Wholesalers and Distributors Association of Nigeria (PWDAN) is a government recognized professional body for Pharmacists with membership strength of about 50. The executive members present at press briefing includes – Pharm. Ogheneochuko Omaruaye Chairman, Pharm. Ernest Okafor immediate past Chairman, Pharm. Olaide Soetan Secretary, Pharm. Adebayo Afon Planning Committee Chairman, Pharm. Nikoro Rosemary.O. Member Board of Trustee, Pharm. Adenike Abdulazeez Ex Officio member and Pharm. Oluwafunke Awopegba member PWDAN.
It is worth mentioning that the Director General of the National Agency for Food,and the Drug Administration and Control ( NAFDAC) Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye has committed that she will personally attend the event, this is according to the organizers.
This year Assembly is designed to deliver tangible outcomes. Therefore, by the conclusion of APDA 2026, the following outcomes are expected:
- Lagos Declaration on Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Integrity.
- Stronger Regional Collaboration
- Action Framework Against Falsified Medicines
- Capacity Development Roadmap
- Stronger Goods Distribution Practice Compliance
- Greater Investment in Supply Chain Infrastructure
- Improved Public Awareness
- Regulatory Harmonization and Continental Supply Chain Resilience.
The overall objective is simple yet profound, which is to create a Safer Africa where access to genuine medicines and trusted products is no longer a privilege but a guarantee. According to Pharm. ogheneochuko, PWDAN was founded on the vision of building Integrity in the pharmaceutical supply chain through collaboration, capacity building and quality service delivery. He believes that today that vision is more important than ever. He rounded up by saying “The APDA Assembly is not simply another Industry conference, it is a call to action, to build a healthier and safer Africa.”
