One of Nigeria’s most recognized brands, Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited is an indigenous group of manufacturers and distributors of medicine and medical equipment. The company aims to provide world-class healthcare products and services at locally affordable rates. Emzor Pharmaceuticals envisions itself as a crusader for wellness in Africa which is articulated through its “Wellocracy” theme policy.
Dr. Stella Okoli, Emzor’s founder and CEO, is one of a few women at the highest levels of Nigeria’s successful business elite. Through her leadership, she has inspired other women to build their own businesses and break into sectors of the business world that have traditionally been dominated by men.
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Emzor Pharmaceuticals: Evolution and Growth
Dr. Stella C. Okoli was born in Kano in 1944, and acquired her primary and secondary education in Anambra State. She went on to gain an MSc in Biopharmaceutical from the University of London in 1971 in addition to a first degree in Pharmacy from the University of Bradford.
She also acquired managerial training from the Chief Executive Programme of Lagos Business School, The Harvard Business School Owner-Manager Programme, and I.E.S.E, Business School, Barcelona, Spain. These additional qualifications were important; she would need more than training in the pure sciences to run a successful conglomerate.
Dr. Okoli established Emzor Pharmaceuticals in 1977 as a retail shop in Lagos. At that time it was named Emzor Chemists Limited. The enterprise shifted its focus to local production of pharmaceutical products in 1985 and reached a milestone with the launch of Emzor Paracetamol in 1988. The medicine would later become a household name among analgesic brands in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The official pioneer factory of Emzor Pharmaceuticals was commissioned in 1993 and was extended in 1999. On both occasions, it was commissioned by representatives from the Nigerian government. Today, their reach extends across West Africa, with a presence in Sierra-Leone and Liberia.
Over the years, the group experienced significant growth and presently owns three factories, two warehouses, and more than 140 products across vitamins, analgesics, antibiotics, antihelmintics, antihistamines, haematinics, antitussives, cardio-protectives, and antimalarials to its credit.
A number of subsidiaries have been established under the Emzor Pharmaceuticals holding company. Among these is Frontwave Limited a procurement company focused on supply and logistics, and Zoon Healthcare Limited which specializes in diverse medical sub-fields including oncology, ophthalmology, neuropsychiatry, gastroenterology, and cardiology.
Other subsidiaries under Emzor Pharmaceuticals are Emzor Hesco Limited and Emzor Chemists Limited. The former provides medical equipment, training, consultancy on procurement, diagnostic centers, and turn-key hospital projects while Emzor Chemists Limited engages in the sale of pharmaceutical products at its various outlets.
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Awards and Philanthropy
Emzor Pharmaceuticals have sponsored several socio-cultural projects, healthcare initiatives, and scholarships. In remembrance of her son, Dr Stella Okoli established Chike Okoli Foundation in 2006. Among the foundation’s many charitable deeds is the creation of Chike Okoli Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka. In 2018, they embarked on a sensitization campaign captioned “Say No To Drug Abuse” in response to a media exposé on growing codeine addiction in Nigeria.
In recognition of her work, Dr. Stella Okoli was conferred the International Women Entrepreneurial Challenge (IWEC) Award. Emzor Pharmaceuticals are also recipients of awards including World Quality Commitment Award (Gold Category 2003) and West African Best Technology Driven Pharmaceutical Company (African Infotech Award) and Best Indigenous Pharmaceutical Manufacturer (Board of Fellows of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria).
Featured image source: IWECFoundation
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