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Transforming pharmacy education and practice in Nigeria: a call for reform
Ifunanya Ikhile1, Adaobi Uchenna Mosanya2, Blessing Onyinye Ukoha-Kalu3
1Medical Education Centre, Medical School, Queens Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom.
Background:
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, faces major challenges in delivering equitable healthcare due to workforce shortages, weak regulation, and inadequate training structures. Pharmacists, as accessible healthcare professionals, are uniquely positioned to address these gaps, but pharmacy education and practice frameworks require reform.
Objective:
This report provides a comprehensive overview of pharmacy education, career pathways, regulatory structures, research culture, and future directions in Nigeria, with a view to aligning the profession with global standards and national health needs.
Key Findings:
The pharmacy undergraduate programme of study in Nigeria is undergoing a transition from the Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) to the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree, aiming to enhance clinical competence. However, training remains largely focused on basic science rather than clinical practice, and research capacity is underdeveloped outside academia. Postgraduate opportunities exist, including Master of Science, Master of Public Health, Doctor of Philosophy, and fellowships, though structured clinical residencies are scarce. Pharmacists pursue careers in community, hospital, academic, industrial, and regulatory settings, but face limitations in scope of practice, particularly around MTM and prescribing. A national research strategy is absent, and clinician-researcher roles remain undefined. Regulatory functions are fragmented, and reimbursement models for pharmaceutical services are lacking.
Conclusions:
To advance pharmacy's role in healthcare delivery, a context-sensitive, systems-level approach is essential to unlocking the profession's full potential and improving population health outcomes.Nigeria must adopt a dual-competency educational model that prepares pharmacists as both clinicians and researchers. This will require curriculum reform, interprofessional collaboration, structured postgraduate pathways, and investment in research infrastructure.
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