The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has taken Nigeria’s community pharmacy reform to the global stage with the presentation of its Community Pharmacists Professional Progression and Assessment Institute (CPACPI) framework at the 84th FIP World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Montreal, Canada.
ACPN National President, Ambrose Igwekamma Ezeh, launched the framework between August 30 and September 2, 2026, placing Nigeria’s workforce development model at the center of international debates under the theme “One Health, One Pharmacy: Bridging Science, Practice and Education.”
During the presentation, Ezeh said CPACPI, launched in 2025, was the first structured, competency-based career progression pathway for community pharmacists in Nigeria.
According to him, the initiative was designed to address a long-standing gap in the profession, particularly the absence of clear advancement opportunities for pharmacists working outside hospital and academic settings.
He said a study presented in Montreal, titled “The Implementation Gap: Perceived Barriers and External Threats to Community Pharmacists’ Participation in a Professional Advancement Plan in Nigeria,” surveyed 182 practicing community pharmacists across the country.
Ezeh said the ACPN had incorporated measures into the framework to address the barriers identified by the study.
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Among the measures, he said, are subsidized, tiered professional development grants for younger pharmacists, as well as flexible, self-paced digital learning modules that would allow pharmacists to receive training without disrupting patient care.
He also called for stricter enforcement by various agencies against unaccredited drug establishments to protect professional standards and patient safety.
The ACPN national president explained that career advancement under the framework would be based on measurable competencies in areas including clinical care, mentoring, digital health integration and continuous quality improvement.
Beyond career progression, Ezeh said the ACPN was advocating for accredited community pharmacies to be designated as private sector primary health care facilities and integrated into Nigeria’s national health insurance system.
The association argued that such integration could expand access to health care, improve health outcomes and reduce pressure on overstretched public facilities.
Ezeh said the Nigerian model could also provide lessons for other low- and middle-income countries seeking to maximize the role of community pharmacists in primary health care, universal health coverage and medicine safety.
“Our mission through CPACPI is not simply to create an academic milestone, but also to build a resilient and sustainable workforce capable of delivering world-class primary healthcare.
“Researchers from CPACPI Lagos, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, found that more than three-fifths of respondents said the demands of daily practice limit participation in professional development.
“The study also revealed that younger and middle-aged pharmacists with less than 20 years of experience cited the financial burden of training and certification as a major concern. Weak law enforcement against illegal drug outlets and competition from patented drug suppliers were identified as the biggest systemic threats to professional practice.
Ezeh said: “At the heart of CPACPI is a five-band progression ladder aimed at ending professional stagnation in community practice. The bands are: Band 1: Community Pharmacist; Band 2: Senior Community Pharmacist; Band 3: Community Pharmacy Specialist; Band 4: Senior Community Pharmacy Specialist; and Band 5: Community Pharmacy Consultant.
“There is a pressing need for government authorities, policymakers and national health authorities to identify and designate qualified community pharmacies as official providers of primary health care centers in the private sector,” Ezeh said, noting that pharmacies are often the most accessible point of care for millions of Nigerians.
“The long-term success of the CPACPI framework depends on our collective ability to close the gap between policy design and real-world implementation,” he said.
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