PHOTO: Governor Ayade’s visit to Calabar Pharmaceutical Company Site and Cross River Garment Factory with the MD of Dana Group. To further broaden the frontiers of investment in Cross River, Governor Partners Dana Group of Companies on Airline/Pharmaceutical Company
Speaking to newsmen during his visit to the proposed site, Governor Ayade said; “What you are seeing here is the Calabar Pharmaceutical Company Site. The original intention and spirit of this factory is to provide the drug demand for the proposed Cross River State Health Insurance Scheme.
“As you are well aware, the Health Insurance Bill has been passed by the House of Assembly and I am going to be signing it into law by Monday or Tuesday.
“The idea therefore is that if Cross River State will be having huge demand for drugs for her citizens who will be covered under the comprehensive insurance scheme, it therefore means that we cannot continue to depend on Lagos and imported drugs to be able to support our people and that only as government we concealed this idea of Calabar Pharmaceuticals and set up CalaPharm.
“With the coming of CalaPharm, we partnered with a Pakistani firm that has been majorly involved in this construction work. As you are well aware too, Dana Pharmaceuticals, one of the outfit of Dana Group of companies have been into the production of quality pharmaceutical goods. So at this point, we move into a serious phase now that the bill is ready to be signed into law, having been passed by the Cross River State House of Assembly.
“It is important that we get somebody who have a deep skin in the business environment here in Nigeria, to also have somebody who is a strong industry player in Nigeria, who has good grabs and while we are not throwing away Pakistani partners who will also be at the background to give technical support.
“We think that this factory will be a complete game changer in the pharmaceutical business. What is critical is that, the entire South-South and the whole of South-East, stretching to Cameroon and western part of Cameroon, stretching to the borders of Northern Nigeria does not have a major pharmaceutical factory and so most of the drugs come from South-West Nigeria and find their way here.
“This will be the manufacturing outfit for the south-south and of course because it is going to be a major outfit with a strong partner on ground, the quality control will be excellent and so reliable, affordable quality drugs to cover our insurance programme and stretch beyond the borders of Cross River State, to carter for other states and neighbouring countries, that is the critical focus of the Calabar pharmaceutical Factory.
“This is part of the concept in ensuring that we reduce the dependence on foreign based drugs and therefore reduce the pressure on our Naira. I am sure that in the next 2-3 months, you will all see Dana Air flying ton Calabar. Governor Ayade concluded.
Watch Video Extract of Governor Ayade’s visit to Calabar Pharmaceutical Company Site, with the MD of Dana Group below…
Watch Video Extract of Governor Ayade’s visit to Calabar Pharmaceutical Company Site, with the MD of Dana Group below…
