Few stories capture the essence of entrepreneurial determination quite like that of Sir Anthony Ezenna and his transformation of Orange Drugs from a humble pharmaceutical distributor into Orange Group, one of West Africa’s largest diversified consumer goods groups.
Remember Procold? Delta soap? Sudrex? Remember that iconic Delta Soap calendar that graced Nigerian homes for decade? The Sandra Okagbue Delta Soap billboard that was rumoured to have been removed from the 3rd Mainland Bridge in Lagos because it was causing accidents since people kept starring instead of driving?
This is the story of the mind behind them all.
Humble Beginnings
Sir Anthony Ezenna was born on April 21, 1957, in Port Harcourt. It would be in Ernest Ukwandu Ebiliekwe Ezenna, his father’s chemist shop that he would begin his entrepreneurial journey. There while working for his father’s shop, Eastern Industrial Chemist, for 13 years, he would learn the intricacies of pharmaceutical retail and develop the business acumen that would later drive his success.
The seeds of what would become Orange Group were planted on July 20, 1988. With just ₦15,000 (a sum of some significance at the time) Ezenna established Orange Drugs in Ikenegbu, Owerri in Imo State. He initially positioned the company as an importer and marketer of drugs and pharmaceutical products. And had a simple mission: to provide quality healthcare products to Nigerians.
The Strategic Pivot
A crucial realization that would shape the company’s future marked those early years. As Ezenna recalls: “It soon became imperative that in order for us to achieve our full strategic objectives we would have to grow the local content. That reality became even more compelling when in 2004, the Federal Government through NAFDAC announced its policy on drugs importation. That policy banned the importation of certain categories of soaps and pharmaceutical products.”
This regulatory shift, rather than deterring Ezenna, became the catalyst for transformation. Recognizing the need for proximity to major markets and ports, he relocated the company to Lagos. The business’s first address was 14 Okupe Estate in Maryland. In 2001, it woudl relocate to its current headquarters at 66/68 Town Planning Way, Ilupeju.
Building on Trust
“We built the Company based on Trust, doing exactly what we said we were going to do,” Ezenna explained, and highlighted the foundational principle that has sustained Orange Group through over three decades of operation. This philosophy of reliability and consistency became the bedrock upon which partnerships were built and maintained.
The company’s commitment to trust paid dividends in the form of strategic partnerships. Most notably, Orange Group partnered with Indonesian pharmaceutical giants Kalbe Farma and Dexa Medica. For over three decades, these relationships that would prove instrumental in the company’s manufacturing evolution.
The Manufacturing Revolution
The period from 2006 to 2009 marked a pivotal transformation for Orange Group. In 2006, the company invested in a state-of-the-art soap finishing line in Lagos and signalled its serious entry into manufacturing. The establishment of Orange Kalbe Limited, a joint venture with Indonesia’s Kalbe Group, followed in 2005.
The Orange Kalbe facility was inaugurated on April 21, 2009 by the late Minister for Information and Communication and former director of NAFDAC, Professor Dora Akunyili. The facility represented a quantum leap in the company’s capabilities. It boasted a capacity to manufacture 2.8 million tablets per year with a single shift. Its cream and gel section could produce 20 million tubes annually.
Expanding Eastward
Sir Anthony Ezenna was not content with success in Lagos and he looked eastward. He would another cutting-edge facility in Onitsha, Anambra State. Located at No. 1 Sir Tony Ezenna Road, Head Bridge Industrial Layout, this plant represented another first for Nigeria. It would become the country’s first and only facility manufacturing bulk packaged goods for finishing in smaller factories.
The Onitsha plant was fully installed in April 2011 and former President Goodluck Jonathan commissioned it on August 30, 2012. It would become what, at the time, was, the single largest employer of labour in the Southeast in the private sector with approximately 1,200 jobs.
Product Innovation and Market Leadership
Under Ezenna’s leadership, Orange Group has consistently stayed ahead of market trends through innovation. The company introduced Nigerians to powdered energy drinks in sachets with Passion Energy Drink and Extra Joss, launched at a time when canned energy drinks dominated the market.
Addressing Nigeria’s malaria challenge, the company developed Gardia Mosquito repellent cream—the first repellent cream in a sachet and Laris, an ACT Combination therapy drug for instant malaria treatment. “We wanted to tackle major issues that affected most Nigerians and do so in a manner that was affordable for them,” explains Ernest Ezenna, the Business Development Director.
Orange Group also pioneered the introduction of the first ever energy saving bulb, Osram, to the Nigerian market. Today, Orange Group’s portfolio spans multiple categories, from household names like Delta Soap, Procold, Mixagrip and Sudrex to innovative products that address everyday Nigerian needs.
Vision for the Future
Looking ahead, Ezenna remains optimistic about Nigeria’s potential. “We believe the market is still wide and very much untapped for us, so we’re investing heavily in our Route-to-Market to reach consumers in remote areas,” says Ernest Ezenna. The company’s strategy of “affordable health and luxury” continues to guide its approach in addressing Nigeria’s macroeconomic challenges.
With technology increasingly important to Nigeria’s young population, Orange Group is positioning itself to leverage its network and consumer insights in this evolving landscape. From a single chemist shop to a diversified conglomerate employing thousands, Anthony Ezenna’s journey exemplifies how vision, trust, and unwavering commitment to local content can build enduring business success in Nigeria.
