Pharmacist Ayuba Tanko Ibrahim, the President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), has called for an urgent overhaul of the country’s pharmacy workforce, saying Nigeria must act now to prepare pharmacists for rapidly changing health systems.
He made the appeal on 4 November 2025 at the opening of the 98th PSN Annual National Conference (DABO 2025) at Bayero University, Kano.
Addressing a gathering of regulators, academics, industry leaders and practitioners, Pharm. Tanko said the PSN’s reform agenda centers on building a “new pharma-workforce” capable of clinical leadership, technological adoption and policy engagement.
“The Pharmacy Profession must build a new workforce that must be holistic, broad-based, versatile and experienced,” he told delegates. “Our 2025 conference theme is premised on this most important goal.”
Tanko made a clear case for elevating the Pharm.D to the national standard. “Our vision is to set a new timeline that compels Pharm.D as the minimum entry level to practice Pharmacy in Nigeria,” he said, adding that universities must align their intake and curricula to meet that target.
He argued the move is essential to equip graduates with advanced clinical skills and to close the gap between education and practice: “Pharmacists must now be equipped with deeper clinical skills, stronger patient-care competencies and multidisciplinary readiness.”
Beyond entry-level change, the PSN president proposed reforms to postgraduate training to produce dual-role experts. “We shall build a formidable pool of experts who can be both academics and Consultant Pharmacists,” Tanko said, outlining plans to harmonise Ph.D and Fellowship pathways so specialists can move seamlessly between academia and clinical practice.
The reforms include shortening Ph.D timelines for practising professionals and allowing Fellowship holders to supervise Ph.D programmes—measures intended to accelerate specialist training and service delivery.
Tanko stressed the agenda extends beyond qualifications. “Workforce transformation is not merely educational but holistic — covering professional development, digital literacy, leadership capacity and continuous learning,” he said, calling for stronger partnerships between government, universities and industry to provide the requisite policy, infrastructure and funding.
Highlighting the pace of global change, he warned: “If we remain defined only by dispensing, our relevance will shrink. If we embrace innovation, collaboration and patient-centred value, our influence will expand.”
The PSN, he said, will pursue legislative backing for a national Postgraduate College of Pharmacy and continue engagement with the National Universities Commission, the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria and other stakeholders to operationalise the reforms.
Tanko concluded by urging delegates to use the conference to refine the timeline and practical steps for implementation. “This conference must help us settle timelines and practical modalities,” he said, calling DABO 2025 a platform for turning vision into action.
