The Federal Government and the Serum Institute of India have announced a partnership in producing vaccines locally to advance vaccine equity in Nigeria.
This was disclosed by Dr. Faisal Shuaib, ED/CEO, National Primary Health Care Development Agency on Tuesday.
He stated that talks would be a launchpad towards vaccine self-sufficiency in Nigeria.
What the NPHCDA is saying
Dr Shuaib noted that local vaccine production is a priority of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration “and this is one reason we have been engaging partners of interest on actualizing this very important project.”
“My meeting today with Mr. Vijay Patil, Director International Business, Serum Institute of India centred around how to partner in producing vaccines locally to advance vaccine equity in Nigeria.
“The work we do with BVNL will be a launchpad towards vaccine self-sufficiency in Nigeria,” he added.
What you should know
- Nairametrics reported in June that the Federal Government revealed that it is currently gathering producers of vaccines and manufacturers to find a way to have the technology to produce vaccines in case of future outbreaks.
- The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, disclosed that Nigeria’s urgency towards producing vaccines now is a bit reduced because it still has few donations, citing 39,800,000 doses of vaccines procured by the Federal Government – The single-shot J&J vaccine through the African Vaccine Acquisition Team (AVAT) of the African Union.
- He said that Nigeria has learnt key lessons from the pandemic, including that countries must look inward for medical supplies and other health commodities.
[Nairametrics]