CIPS HPA in Nigeria

Pharmaceutical procurement in Nigeria is handled by the country’s 36 States and Federal Capital Territory, with the exception of procurement for federal hospitals and for some donor programmes, which is handled at federal level. CIPS HPA’s work therefore focuses primarily on support for the State Drug Management Agencies (DMAs) in addition to the Institutions/Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) at the National Level (e.g., Bureau for Public Procurement, Federal Ministry of Health, National Product Supply Chain Management Programme. The programme began in Lagos and Niger States and has since expanded to Kaduna, Nasarawa, Yobe, Kano, Sokoto and Bauchi States.

The diagnostics for the supported States revealed gaps such as:

Lack of agency-specific procurement strategies, policies, procedures, and processes at two-thirds of the procuring organisations assessed
Lack of accurate quantification (forecasting) of drug requirements
Lack of robust framework agreements with suppliers, that would enable procurement agents to move more quickly from tender to contract, and to achieve better pricing
Lack of category management - an approach that groups similar purchases into categories to identify opportunities for cost reduction, such as bulk buying and better supplier negotiations.

The diagnostic results and proposed improvement plan for Lagos State were presented to officials at both the Federal Ministry of Health and National Product Supply Chain Management Programme Coordinator and State Level Ministers of Health for Lagos in May 2021 and approved in the same month. The diagnostic and improvement support workplan for Niger was completed in late 2020 and presented in March 2021 to the Honorable Commissioner for Health, and the Niger State Ministry of Health. The improvement support workplan was reviewed and endorsed in July 2021.

In 2022, CIPS HPA expanded support in Nigeria to three new States: Yobe, Kaduna and Nasarawa, carrying out the CIPS Procurement Excellence diagnostic in early 2023 and making recommendations on improvements. In 2023, the CIPS HPA programme was expanded to a further three States – Sokoto, Bauchi and Kano, with diagnostics completed and presented to stakeholders in April 2024.

CIPS HPA’s technical support has largely focused on addressing the gaps identified in the diagnostic, with a particular focus on:

Development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) which detail how a process (e.g. issuing a tender) should be carried out in order to ensure efficiency and compliance. These have led to a 90% improved availability of health products in one State and a reduction in stock-out rates of 70% in another. CIPS HPA also supports the State procurement teams in executing the SOPs to a high level of competence.
Support with more accurate quantification (forecasting) of drug requirements: CIPS HPA supported the State Ministries of Health in Bauchi, Niger, Kaduna, Yobe and Nasarawa in a quantification of requirements of between 350 and 640 essential healthcare products, medical consumables and equipment. CIPS HPA also collaborated with the Safe Motherhood unit within the Family Health Department of the Federal Ministry of Health in Nigeria to implement the first ever quantification of 42 maternal health products for the 36 Nigerian States. CIPS HPA supported the establishment of a national quantification team, organised an assumption building workshop with experts in obstetrics and gynaecology from key health institutions and bodies and provided quantification training to 20 health professionals. Quantification is important because without an accurate forecast of requirements for critical drugs the State a) does not have an evidence base to advocate for sufficient budget and b) is not be able to ensure availability of critical medicines to health facilities in the State.
Establishment of a category management strategy for maternal and newborn health products for the State Ministry of Health in Kaduna to ensure availability of key products which can prevent maternal deaths, for example from post-partum bleeding. Category management is important as grouping similar products enables procurement professionals to identify key suppliers and negotiate bulk discounts. It is also important in enabling procurement organisations to track performance – for example availability and wastage, across a set of inter-related products.

Contribution to a reduction in maternal mortality of 50%: According to Chief Medical Director of Muhammad Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital, Prof Hadiza Saidu, CIPS HPA support in ensuring ‘the strategic positioning of pre-packed PPH bundle at the labour & delivery ward has been a game changer in contributing to reducing maternal mortality in the facility by 50%, by ensuring prompt access to quality health products at all times’.
Improved availability of critical healthcare products by up to 90%
70% reduction in stockouts in one State
Reduction in turn-around time (the time between an order being raised and the contract being issued) of 15 to 5 days in one State
33% reduction in price variation in one State

Reduction in product wastage (for example due to drug expiry) of between 45 and 95% in different States.

In 2023, a diagnostic assessment across eight states revealed that 62.5% were operating at the Ad hoc level, while 37.5% were at the Tactical level. However, by 2025, a diagnostic reassessment in four focus states showed significant progress: none of the states remained at the Ad hoc level, with 75% advancing to the Tactical level and 25% reaching the Developing level (Legend: 1-1.99 = Adhoc; 2-2.99 = Tactical; 3-3.99 = Developing; 4-4.99 = Effective; 5 = Standard)