The Federal Government has unveiled its strategy to foster domestic vaccine production and significantly diminish dependence on the importation of pharmaceutical goods. Dr. Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, made this announcement during a stakeholders’ dialogue aimed at addressing technological deficiencies in Nigeria’s pharmaceutical and vaccine sectors.
The dialogue, held in Abuja and organized in collaboration with the African Pharmaceutical Technology Foundation (APTF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), provided a platform to discuss innovative solutions to enhance local manufacturing capabilities.
Dr. Alausa emphasized the government’s commitment to advancing the country’s pharmaceutical and vaccine industries by bridging existing technology gaps.
This initiative reflects Nigeria’s determination to bolster its healthcare infrastructure, promote self-sufficiency, and contribute to global efforts in vaccine production.
The dialogue seeks to amalgamate ideas and proposals to develop robust and contextually appropriate strategies facilitating the transfer of technology for local production of medicines and vaccines.
According to the minister, this approach is envisioned to establish a solid groundwork conducive to leveraging local capacity to address the healthcare requirements of the populace. Additionally, the intervention is expected to catalyze local research and development initiatives in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors.
Dr. Alausa underscored the significance of this intervention in stimulating domestic research and development efforts, thereby enhancing the nation’s ability to produce pharmaceuticals and other essential healthcare commodities.
By fostering a conducive environment for technology transfer and local manufacturing, Nigeria aims to strengthen its healthcare infrastructure, promote self-reliance, and address the healthcare needs of its population more effectively.
“Nigeria, like many other African countries, was affected due to inability to manufacture vaccines locally, in the light of this, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Pate Ali, went ahead to develop a vaccine policy in order to be proactive in achieving sustainable local manufacturing of vaccines.
“This development of this epoch of making policy was undertaken alongside critical actors in the healthcare space and will be fit and proper response to the lack of access Nigeria and other similarly disadvantaged nations suffered during two vaccines. Pressure analysis probably did, again landscape during the COVID 19 pandemic”, Dr. Alausa explained.
He said, “With the steps taken so far, I’m confident that the government prioritisation of vaccine production will begin to yield the desired result within the shortest possible time. Reliance on importation of pharmaceutical products will drastically reduce.”
Dr. Obi Adigwe, the Director-General of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), expressed the institute’s commitment to spearheading and orchestrating scientific efforts aimed at garnering policy support for the pharmaceutical industry. The goal is to establish at least three local vaccine manufacturing entities within Nigeria over the next three to five years.
He expressed confidence that the policy ecosystem would facilitate the achievement of their goal of establishing three manufacturing entities in half the time originally projected.
“There are three companies that have indicated interest and have spoken to their MDs and chairmen. As the case may be, and given the integrity of these individuals, I know that those three companies will successfully manufacture vaccines within the next 24 to 36 months.
“So, it is for us to enhance our activities to be sure that their support is contextual and enable them to reach that target,” he sa
