Folasade Osho
Helping Nigerians access safe medicines at the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC)
Meet Folasade Osho, an AIG MPP Scholar whose work at the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is helping Nigerians access safe medicines.
“My work at NAFDAC showed me how critical evidence-based policies are to improving public health outcomes. But I wanted a deeper grounding in economics, politics, and policymaking to bridge the gap between policy design and practice, so I applied for the AIG Master of Public Policy (MPP) Programme”.
Folasade Osho is an Assistant Director and Deputy Quality Manager at the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Lagos, where she ensures that the agency’s laboratories and regulatory systems meet international quality and safety standards.
Driven by her commitment to improving medicines regulation through stronger public policy, Folasade enrolled in the Blavatnik School of Government’s Master of Public Policy Programme (MPP) through the Foundation’s MPP scholarship.
She shares how the programme strengthened her capacity as a public servant, revealing that the programme improved her ability to drive evidence-based decision-making, manage competing interests in policy implementation, and align policy proposals with funders’ priorities to secure financing.
“I now approach projects with stronger stakeholder mapping, clearer engagement strategies, and a sharper ability to use evidence to build buy-in and mobilise resources,” she affirms.
Speaking on the influence of the programme on her career, she affirmed that the programme indeed strengthened her leadership abilities, opening opportunities to contribute to key policy and regulatory initiatives and participate in important national and international discussions.
“I was co-opted to the Traceability Technical Working Group due to the summer project experience. I was also nominated to serve on the Agency’s Quality Management System Steering Committee and recently as the Assistant Quality Manager for the Agency. In addition to these, I have spoken on international platforms, where I presented Nigeria’s progress in regulatory system strengthening, including our work in mentoring other regulatory authorities, leveraging digital innovation, streamlining regulatory processes, and advancing reliance initiatives.”
Speaking on the programme’s impact, she has contributed to strengthening Nigeria’s medicine and health system. She helped Nigeria achieve and maintain WHO Maturity Level 3, demonstrating that the medicine regulatory system is stable and well-functioning. She also supported the National Quality Control Laboratory in attaining WHO Prequalification Status, enabling it to meet international standards for assessing medicine quality.
Folasade’s work helps ensure that the medicines Nigerians use are safe, reliable, and meet global standards. By strengthening laboratories and regulatory systems, her contributions reduce the risk of fake or substandard drugs and build public trust in Nigeria’s health system.