News Investigators/ Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General (D-G) of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has received the Special African Leadership Commendation Award in London.
According to a statement on Thursday, the award was presented at the 16th African Business Leadership Awards (ABLA), held at the Cholmondeley Room and Terrace, House of Lords, Palace of Westminster, on July 3.
The Global Advisory Board of the African Leadership Organisation (ALO), Publisher of African Leadership Magazine, conferred the award after a merit-based screening and vetting process assessed Adeyeye’s leadership and institutional impact.
Prof. Adeyeye assumed office as NAFDAC D-G on Nov. 30, 2017, inheriting an agency with over N3.2 billion debt, non-functional laboratories, collapsed staff morale and limited digital infrastructure.
She cleared over N3.1 billion inherited debt within her first year, discovered N200 million fictitious debt, procured over 150 vehicles and invested more than N7 billion in laboratories.
The agency also digitised 90 per cent of regulatory processes, introduced standard operating procedures and attained ISO 9001 certification in 2019, which it has maintained through recertification.
NAFDAC attained World Health Organisation Global Benchmarking Maturity Level Three in March 2022 and was successfully re-benchmarked in June 2025, strengthening its global regulatory standing.
Its Central Drug Laboratory achieved WHO Prequalification in September 2023, while Nigeria secured Pre-Accession Pre-Applicant status in the Pharmaceutical Inspection and Cooperation Scheme (PIC/S).
Nigeria also became the 24th member of the International Council for Harmonisation in 2025, placing the country’s pharmaceutical regulatory system among recognised global institutions.
Through the Five Plus Five regulatory directive, NAFDAC achieved a 70 per cent reduction in pharmaceutical imports already manufactured locally, boosting domestic production and attracting renewed international investments.
The two-day programme, with the theme “From Vision to Velocity: Driving Africa’s Next Wave of Growth and Leadership”, featured a keynote address by Adeyeye on African universities and innovation.
The awards ceremony at the House of Lords was hosted by Baroness Sandy Verma, with Lord Dolar Popat and Baroness Lindsay Northover attending as special guests.
Speaking after receiving the award, Prof. Adeyeye said: “I accept this honour not for myself alone, but on behalf of the dedicated men and women of NAFDAC whose tireless work makes every achievement attributed to my leadership possible.”
“Today, we stand at Maturity Level Three, successfully re-benchmarked in June 2025, a distinction held by only 35 per cent of regulatory agencies worldwide.
“This recognition belongs to every member of the NAFDAC family,” she said.
NAN
