The announcement was made on the sidelines of the 9th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9)—a high-profile forum that promotes economic and development cooperation between Japan and African nations.
Partnership to Drive Local Manufacturing and Innovation
Leading the Nigerian delegation, Mr. Abiola Adebayo, Managing Director and CEO of Fidson, said the renewed collaboration marks a new chapter in the long-standing relationship between both companies. The delegation also included Mr. Imokha Ayebae, Fidson’s Finance Director, and Mr. Oshoke Ayebae, Director of Business Development and Marketing.
According to Adebayo, the expanded partnership will see Ohara supporting Fidson’s capital raise, offering strategic advisory support, and facilitating the transfer of advanced pharmaceutical technologies—particularly in areas of specialized medicine production.
“Putting this strategic alliance on a world stage like TICAD emphasizes the fact that the Fidson-Ohara collaboration has come to stay,” Adebayo told journalists at the event.
From Technology Transfer to Structural Transformation
The foundation of the Fidson-Ohara partnership dates back to July 2019, following Fidson’s rights issue. Since then, the alliance has been instrumental in transferring critical pharmaceutical expertise from Japan to Nigeria, enhancing local capacity and improving medicine quality and affordability.
“By leveraging Ohara’s technical know-how, the partnership has strengthened local production capacity and reduced Nigeria’s over-reliance on imported medicines,” Adebayo noted.
With the new commitment, Ohara is expected to facilitate the transfer of more advanced manufacturing processes, including active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production, while also connecting Fidson to cutting-edge research and development innovations.
“This deepened commitment will enable Fidson to expand into areas that are highly critical to Africa’s healthcare needs,” Adebayo added.
Ohara’s Confidence in Fidson and the African Market
Speaking at the event, Dr. Seiji Ohara, President and CEO of Ohara Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., highlighted the strength of the relationship between both companies.
“Since the beginning of our collaboration, Ohara and Fidson have built a sincere and trusting relationship,” Dr. Ohara said. “This new Memorandum of Understanding allows us to explore new avenues for partnership, with the goal of growing Fidson’s business and saving more lives across Africa.”
Dr. Ohara affirmed the company’s intent to remain a key innovation partner for Fidson, sharing its technologies and capabilities to help meet Africa’s growing demand for high-quality, life-saving medicines.
Positioning Fidson as a Regional Pharmaceutical Leader
The alliance not only strengthens Fidson’s position as a market leader in Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry, but also enhances its capacity to become a pan-African pharmaceutical powerhouse. The company is now better positioned to produce specialized drugs for complex disease conditions—many of which are still heavily reliant on imports.
For Ohara, the collaboration provides a strategic entry point into Africa’s fast-growing healthcare market, with a trusted local partner capable of scaling advanced production and ensuring sustainable access.
A Model for South–South and Triangular Cooperation
Beyond its immediate commercial implications, the Fidson-Ohara alliance is being hailed as a model for transformative international partnerships—one that goes beyond aid to enable technology transfer, industrial capacity-building, and local value creation.
“This collaboration moves Africa’s healthcare sector from a consumption-based model to a production-driven one,” said a TICAD observer. “It is exactly the kind of structural shift African economies need.”
As the demand for affordable, high-quality medicines rises across the continent, the deepening of this partnership is expected to have far-reaching implications for public health outcomes, industrial growth, and knowledge transfer in the region.