NAFDAC Calls For Nigeria’s Return To Vaccine Manufacturing, Seeks Global Support

The director general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has said it is “high time” Nigeria revived its vaccine manufacturing capacity.

She emphasized the need for the country to establish local vaccine production facilities and appealed to international partners to support the effort, highlighting the importance of self-reliance in public health.

Prof. Adeyeye made the appeal at the 8th Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers Expo in Lagos, organized by the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN) and PGE Expo PVT Limited.

She told international organizations active in global healthcare that their contributions would be appreciated in supporting fill-and-finish modular vaccine manufacturing in Nigeria. According to her, NAFDAC has nine functions and requirements to meet to become fully benchmarked for medicines and vaccines. The agency has achieved eight, with the final one — Lot Release for vaccines — still outstanding.

“We want to call on our international partners who have been of tremendous help. Without them, we would not have reached this point. I want to challenge them to contribute to fill-and-finish modular vaccine manufacturing so that we can achieve Vaccine Lot Release,” she said, adding that Nigeria has the capacity to meet this requirement aside from local vaccine production.

“To get Lot Release — Maturity Level 4 — we have worked out the process and estimated the cost. It will not be too expensive, and we will share the details. We cannot afford to return to where we used to be,” she added.

Prof. Adeyeye also acknowledged the challenges faced by local manufacturers, noting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Executive Order of 2024 introduced incentives that eased some of the industry’s difficulties.

The chairman of PMG-MAN, Mr. Oluwatosin Jolayemi, described the expo as the only comprehensive pharmaceutical manufacturing platform in Central and West Africa, bringing together manufacturers, regulators, investors, development partners, and other stakeholders. He commended Prof. Adeyeye for her commitment to aligning the industry with international best practices in quality and GMP compliance.

Mr. Jolayemi noted that NAFDAC’s policies are beginning to reshape the industry and stressed the need to sustain these gains. He called for an extension of the presidential executive order for another two years beyond its expiration in March 2027, arguing that the journey toward medicine security and pharmaceutical sovereignty requires long-term policy consistency, investment, capability development, and a stable operating environment.