Barbados and Nigeria have entered a transformative new chapter in transatlantic cooperation, signing a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that lays the foundation for joint pharmaceutical production, regulatory collaboration, and expanded market access across the Caribbean, Latin America, ECOWAS, and the wider African continent.
The agreement — signed between Barbados Pharmaceuticals Inc. (BPI) and Nigeria’s Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC) — establishes a formal framework for cooperation in four strategic areas:
- Industrial capacity and human capital development
- Market access and market shaping
- Clinical trials collaboration
- Regulatory, financing, and policy alignment
View Investment Properties for Sale in Barbados
This milestone follows months of sustained high-level engagement, including ministerial discussions between Barbados’ Senior Minister of Health Dr Jerome Walcott and Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Professor Muhammad Ali Pate. It also builds on parallel work with AMA Medical Manufacturing, a top Nigerian biopharmaceutical firm currently exploring a manufacturing facility in Barbados.
Strengthening a Shared Vision for Health Sovereignty
Minister Walcott welcomed the partnership as a direct extension of Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley’s long-standing call to establish a pharmaceutical bridge linking Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America.
“This MOU represents a decisive step in strengthening health sovereignty for both regions,”
said Dr Walcott. “Barbados sees Nigeria as a strategic partner in advancing industrial capability, technology transfer, and shared health security across the Global South.”
Professor Pate highlighted Nigeria’s commitment to expanding local pharmaceutical production under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Executive Order, which targets 70% domestic production of essential medicines and devices by 2030.
“This partnership opens new pathways for investment, innovation, and regional integration,”
he noted. “Nigeria is pleased to join hands with Barbados to shape a future where our nations produce the medicines our populations depend on.”
View Investment Properties for Sale in Barbados
Key Actions Under the MOU
The agreement outlines several tangible and high-impact initiatives, including:
- Creation of a Barbados–Nigeria Pharmaceutical Skills Pathway covering GMP, quality control, sterile manufacturing, and regulatory training.
- Reciprocal market access, enabling Nigerian producers to reach CARICOM and LATAM markets, while Barbados-based manufacturers gain entry to ECOWAS and AfCFTA.
- Integration of clinical trial networks, connecting Barbados’ clinical ecosystem with Nigeria’s National Clinical Trials Consortium.
- A new Regulatory Reliance Agreement between NAFDAC and the soon-to-be-established Barbados Medicines and Products Regulatory Authority (BMPRA).
- A coordinated financing pipeline supported by development finance institutions, including Afreximbank, the African Development Bank, and the European Investment Bank.
These measures are designed to accelerate manufacturing capacity, reduce dependency on external suppliers, and anchor the first Africa–Caribbean pharmaceutical production corridor.
Paving the Way for African–Caribbean Manufacturing
The partnership also advances talks with AMA Medical Manufacturing, which is evaluating Barbados as the location for a full-scale biomedical and IV fluid manufacturing facility. If realised, this would mark the first direct Africa–Caribbean biomedical production hub — a breakthrough in south–south industrial cooperation.
A Joint Steering Committee established under the MOU will now begin immediate implementation planning, marking the start of a new era in collaborative health security, innovation, and economic development for both nations.
View all of our Properties for Sale in Barbados
