The Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council (Pharmexcil) has sent a proposal to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to open an office in Nigeria, it is learnt.

According to sources, the Indian High Commission in Nigeria has also sent a similar proposal to the government. If the proposal is approved, it would be the first office of the Pharmexcil outside the country. It has also plans to open a warehousing facility under the Market Access Initiative (MAI) scheme to promote pharmaceutical exports to the country.

Dr P V Appaji, executive director, Pharmexcil, said, “Opening an office in Nigeria will help us to be closely in touch with the local market. It can extend assistance to the companies for the registration of their products in the country but that doesn’t mean that we will do all the registration works. It can also help us to monitor the reports appearing in the local media on Indian pharmaceutical industry.”

He added that the export promotion council is looking forward to hire a warehousing facility in the African country. The planned warehousing facility is expected to help the small and medium sized companies as they can store their products in the warehousing and supply to local distributor when the requirement comes. It will have all the facilities, including cold chain storage facilities.

Nigeria is the second top destination for the Indian pharmaceutical exports after South Africa. Nigeria offers great opportunity for the Indian bulk drugs manufacturers and machine manufacturers and packaging materials. It has 17 drugs in the negative list, which offers huge opportunity to the Indian bulk drugs manufacturers as the local companies require various active pharmaceutical ingredients needed for the manufacturing of these drugs.

Under the MAI scheme Pharmexcil is also planning to organise a training programme for its members under in association with the Hyderabad-based Jawaharlal Nehru Technical University (JNTU). The School of Management Studies of JNTU has already prepared course material for the same and the proposal is submitted to the ministry. Pharmexcil is yet to decide on the nature of the training programme. The candidates will be given certificates after the training programme jointly by Pharmexcil and JNTU.