By Pharmacist Zainab Ujudud Shariff
I happily start this article by commending Alhaji Aliko Dangote, a patriotic businessman who is endowed with extraordinary qualities which he deploys to touch lives positively .
It will not be exaggerating his standing by including him in the rank of African leaders who left indelible record of achievements in their various leadership roles like Nelson Mandela, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Gamal AbdulNasser, Samora Michael, Robert Mugabe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Kwame Nkrumah.
Back to the matter of Dangote – the richest man in Africa, an astute and so daring a businessman who audaciously built the largest private crude petroleum refinery in Africa. It is also the largest in the single train class in the world.
The refinery is reportedly designed to produce high quality diesel, petrol, aviation fuel, low pour oil and several top grade petrochemicals that can provide raw materials for countless industries, including the pharmaceutical sector.
As a pharmacist, I am so fascinated by the potential impact many of the petrochemical products expected from the refinery would have as raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria and even beyond our shores.
There is no doubt that the 200 plus pharmaceutical factories in Nigeria that had to import pricey raw materials would find solace in procuring their inputs from the Dangote refinery. They will pay in Naira instead of costly Dollars, no more shipping charges from far-flung countries and there will be shorter time lag for delivery.
It is commonly known in the pharmaceutical industry that medicines are derived through natural, synthetic and biosynthetic processes.
The relevant petrochemicals involved in pharmaceutical are mostly synthesis and biosynthesis. They produce carboxylic acid and anhydrides used in formulating medicines like Phenacetin, Novocain, Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, Sedatives, Tranquilizers, Decongestants, Antihistamines, Aspirin, Antibiotics, Soaps, Creams, and Ointments.
Petroleum 🡪 Benzene 🡪 Phenol 🡪 Salicylic acid 🡪 Aspirin (ASA) contained in petrochemicals are used in making the popularly prescribed aspirin.
Many components of medical equipment like heart valves, artificial limbs, cleaning and safety products are also produced using petrochemicals.
Of particular great importance to the local manufacturers in my view, is the likely availability of these long awaited pharmaceutical raw materials: –
Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) – The main component of a drug mostly sourced from the hydrocarbons namely Acetaminophen for making paracetamol.
Intermediaries – Benzophenones, semi finished products which are used for synthesis of drugs like tranquilizers
Additives, Excipients and Preservatives – all added in medicine to give specific product the desired quality assurance. These include ethylene glycol, alcohol, Glycerol, lecithin and emulsifiers.
Other materials that can be derived from petrochemicals from the Dangote oil refinery are plastic containers for drugs, reagents, solvents, wax, paraffin among others.
Crude oil is also used as an antidote for poisons in some cultures. Petroleum jelly is believed to have properties that minimize the pains from stings by bees or scorpions.
The $20 billion Dangote refining facility in Lagos contains a refinery, petrochemical plant, fertilizer plant gas pipelines and more.
Chief Okey Akpa, past chairman, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) said, “There is a lot of hope that the Dangote Petrochemical Plant is being structured in a way to address the inputs challenge faced by the chemicals and pharmaceutical sector.”
He further said that there is justification for Nigeria to have a petrochemicals plant even if only to end the huge volume of paracetamol powder being imported into the country.
The Dangote refinery and its petrochemicals plant is a source of relief for the pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria.
As a pharmacist who wants to see Nigeria attain national medicines supply security, I can not wait to its products flooding the market, making our pharmaceutical sector vibrant.
I am optimistic that Nigeria stands to be in the global list of producers and exporters of pharmaceutical materials and finished products with feed stock from the huge Dangote refinery.
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