Nigeria seeks international support for local vaccine production

Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is seeking support from international development partners to establish local vaccine manufacturing facilities. The initiative aims to help the agency achieve World Health Organization (WHO) Maturity Level 4 for vaccine lot release.

Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director General of NAFDAC, stated at the 8th Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers’ Expo that the agency has already met eight of the nine required functions for full benchmarking in medicines and vaccines. The lack of local vaccine manufacturing capacity remains the sole outstanding requirement for attaining the WHO maturity status.

Adeyeye specifically called for contributions toward fill-and-finish modular vaccine manufacturing plants. She noted that while Nigeria previously manufactured vaccines, the country must return to local production to ensure security. She also commended President Bola Tinubu’s Executive Order 2024 for providing incentives to local manufacturers operating under difficult conditions.