Medipool Nigeria Limited, the federal government-approved Group Purchasing Organisation (GPO), has inaugurated a nine-member Board of Directors to provide strategic oversight and strengthen its governance structure as it moves into its next phase of development.
The board, chaired by Dr. Oluwaseun Abiola, was inaugurated on October 14, 2026, in Abuja.
Established as a public-private partnership with the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), Medipool is mandated to aggregate the procurement needs of Nigeria’s public health system to reduce the cost of medicines and other healthcare commodities, strengthen supply reliability, guarantee quality and stimulate local pharmaceutical production.
The board comprises Abiola, Founder and Chairman; Ms. Kafayat Babalola, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer; Pharm. Cornel Eneyi Akpandara, Executive Director and Chief Pharmaceutical Officer; Mr. Obinna Ukachukwu and Ms. Lolade Awogbade, Non-Executive Directors; while Dr. Abdu Mukhtar, Mr. Martins Olajide and Prince Henry Erimodafe serve as Independent Directors.
Ms. Hadiza Bako is the Acting Company Secretary.
Speaking at the inauguration, Abiola said the board would ensure that the organisation remained accountable to its mandate and delivered value to Nigeria’s healthcare system.
He noted that Medipool was established to address the fragmented nature of procurement within the country’s health sector by consolidating demand and improving the efficiency of medicine distribution.
“Medipool was approved by the Federal Executive Council to do a specific job: aggregate the demand of Nigeria’s fragmented health system so that it buys better, and moves medicines reliably to the facilities that need them,” he said.
According to him, the board would institute appropriate governance frameworks and controls to meet the expectations of the federal government, state partners, development partners and the Nigerian public.
He added that the board would also ensure that management operated in line with the standards and objectives underpinning the organisation’s establishment.
“We will put in place the governance and controls that the federal government, our state partners, development partners and the Nigerian public are entitled to expect, and we will hold management to the standard the model was built to meet: better value for the Nigerian healthcare system,” Abiola said.
Medipool operates as an independent, multi-stakeholder platform working with federal, state and local governments, regulators, development partners and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Through the aggregation of demand and strategic procurement, the organisation seeks to negotiate lower prices for essential medicines, strengthen supply chains and promote end-to-end quality assurance.
Its activities are also expected to support Nigeria’s broader health sector reform agenda, the attainment of Universal Health Coverage and efforts to expand domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing.