Pharmaceutical Wholesalers and Distributors Association of Nigeria (PWDAN) on Tuesday November 21, 2023 at the National Secretariat of Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) with the promoters of P2P Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Coordination Platform; NETOP Business Consulting Limited, to enhance robustness and operations of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers and Distributors in Nigeria....CONTINUE READING
The Chairman of the Association, Pharm Ogheneochuko Omaruaye supported by the General Secretary, Pharm Olaide Soetan, the Committee head on technology and PSN National Secretary, Pharm Gafar Madehin, FPSN were elated at the turn of events on a journey of almost two years of engagement with the technology company in arriving at a workable understanding to promote an inclusive, robust and technology driven drug distribution and traceability of pharmaceutical products within the Nigeria pharmaceutical supply chain as championed by the Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, FPSN.
Pharm. Wale Oladigbolu, FPSN, the National Chairman of Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), witnessed the event as the technical group head and was grateful seeing the several attempts in achieving a coordinated pharmaceutical distribution with great benefits to the health consumers and the professionals becoming a reality.
Pharm Omaruaye in his brief remark tasked all the players in the MOU on trust and to take the step beyond the paper signing but total commitment of the technology advancement in addressing the age-long challenges that has painted drug distribution in Nigeria over the decades. He stressed that with P2P he sees a properly regulated drug distribution system that allows players to stay on their lanes (that is, not mixing retailing with wholesaling) which has deep advantage for specialization, coverage, accessibility and overall reduction in cost of business.
He also said that with the operations of his members fully on-boarded on P2P supply chain coordination platform, there would be improved access by Community Pharmacists who are retailers across Nigeria to the large inventories carried by his members and thereby mitigating the skyrocketing prices of drugs in Nigeria.
Omaruaye expressed happiness on the architecture of the P2P platform which is designed along the National Drug Distribution Guideline of the Federal Government of Nigeria and as a tool to confront the chaotic drug distribution which is responsible for the widespread fake and substandard medicines within the Nigeria pharmaceutical market.
He mentioned that the traceability feature of the P2P platform whereby there is a documented journey of every product from the source of Manufacturers/importers, across the various wholesalers/Distributors to the retailers and finally the consumers is a great advantage and in tandem with the DG NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye’s policy direction at combating distribution of fake and substandard drugs in Nigeria and believe there would be a workable handshake of the technologies at some point going forward.
Mr Cyril Asuku, MD/CEO of NETOP Business Consulting thanked the National Chairman of ACPN for his doggedness, push and leadership on the project and all efforts culminating in the MOU.
He also appreciated PWDAN Executives led by the Chairman especially the IPC, Pharm Enerst Okafor, FPSN for the success achieved. “He reiterated his organisation’s commitment to a dependable and reliable technology on distribution which has been their strength in the last 26 years of their operations. He maintained that their product; P2P is a customisation of their Pharma industry solution “Edge” which big organisations like MDS used in managing their distribution and management of the several warehouses”.
He further said that with P2P, most of the yearnings of the industry would be adequately addressed, and described the solution as being a combo of registered participants/products, inventory and finance.
“Currently, there are several financial institutions that have integrated with the platform with the aim of providing payment through the wallet system, credit to oil drug distribution thereby making funds readily available to the manufacturers/importers and secured loans to expand inventory of the players on the platform. The event of the day has signalled a new journey to prove the benefits of the platform to the pharmaceutical community and health consumers in the country. Also, PWDAN members would be trained, supported and be given all required to take full benefit of the platform while equally demanding their commitment on shared responsibility for the success of the exercise”.
In addition, Pharm Ogheneochuko in his closing remark thanked the National Chairman of ACPN for his leadership and requested for more of his fatherly support for all the programmes of PWDAN and especially their stakeholders forum coming up shortly.
He also thanked NETOP for their resilience and positive spirit on the project.
Ogheneochuko appreciated his executives especially the immediate past Chairman, Pharm Enerst Okafor, FPSN who actually began the engagement with NETOP and grateful that the dream became fruition.
(L-R) Pharm Gafar Madehin, FPSN, PSN National Secretary and Committee Head on Technology (PWDAN), Dr Solomon Aigbovboa, FPSN, MD Sonedis Limited (P2P Project Consultant), Mr Cyril Asuku, MD/CEO, NETOP Business Consulting, Pharm Wale, Oladigbolu, FPSN, National Chairman ACPN, Pharm Ogheneochuko Omaruaye, FPSN, Chairman, PWDAN, Pharm Olaide Soetan, General Secretary PWDAN, Pharm Abiodun Ajibade, FPSN, P2P Project Coordinator.
