Abuja | September 12, 2025 — The Federal Government has launched Nigeria’s first fully digital procurement system for pharmaceuticals, a move designed to address recurring drug shortages and improve transparency in tertiary hospitals across the country.
The system, unveiled in Abuja on Thursday, is part of wider health sector reforms aimed at modernizing medical supply chains, curbing corruption, and ensuring timely delivery of essential medicines to federal teaching and specialist hospitals.
According to the Minister of Health, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, the initiative will replace manual processes with an electronic platform that tracks procurement from supplier to hospital shelves. This, he said, will not only prevent diversion and artificial scarcity but also guarantee efficiency and cost-effectiveness in drug acquisition.
The minister emphasized that the system is linked to a national database that provides real-time information on stock levels, enabling hospitals to forecast demand and prevent avoidable shortages. He added that the platform would also help government save billions lost annually to leakages in drug supply chains.
Health experts have welcomed the initiative as a “game-changer” for Nigeria’s health sector, noting that patients at teaching hospitals often face delays and inflated costs due to poor procurement practices.
The Federal Government assured that training for hospital administrators and pharmacists is already underway to ensure a smooth transition to the new digital system.
