Towards accelerating the process of commencing sustainable production of local vaccines in Nigeria, the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), in collaboration with experts from the European Union (EU) and the Bulgarian Government, has holistically reviewed and validated a Draft National Plan for vaccines R&D and manufacturing in the country.
The experts’ review and validation of the draft roadmap was done at a high-powered meeting, convened by the Director General, NIPRD, Dr Obi Adigwe, in Abuja, recently.
Graced by Africa’s and Nigeria's leading experts in various interdisciplinary areas across the vaccine value chain, the conference featured specialist deliberations on the nation’s first initiator-led plan for local vaccine production, which had been synthesised from intensive cross-sectional and qualitative research methodologies, underpinned by cogent scientific philosophies.
Addressing delegates at the meeting, Dr Adigwe said Africa is no longer interested in tokenistic interventions such as fill-finish products, but has become interested in building dependable, equitable, and veracious partnerships that will enable the continent to undertake full R&D for the production of vaccines.
He disclosed that the specialists’ convergence will serve as the final step of the one-year intensive engagement for formulating a comprehensive plan to expedite the continent’s interest in sustainably developing vaccines.
According to him, “This is just the first step to unlock the health value chain plan, which will not only save lives, but at the same time, address critical socio-economic indices such as job creation, capacity building, revenue generation and technology transfer.
“The meeting was the first of its kind of interventions that will lead to peer-reviewed publications and serve as a bottom-up empirical approach to benefit Nigeria and ultimately, the entire African system.”
He continued, “We have presented the work which started close to a year ago to the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate. And, given that NIPRD has been appointed the lead for a national drive to develop local vaccines ecosystem in Nigeria, the meeting that here today fits very nicely into the plan of this administration. And you would also notice that the conference is Pan-African, which we have just secured approval from the minister to champion.”
In his remarks, the Bulgarian Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency, Yanko Yordanov, revealed that the gathering, which had stemmed from a series of intensive engagements and activities over the last one year, sought to complement the efforts of the Federal Government of Nigeria to enhance healthcare in the country.
He noted that the support of the Bulgarian Government in this area had been targeted at increasing equitable access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential vaccines, medicines and health technologies for all Nigerians.
“The success of the project is a testimonial to the remarkable activities of NIPRD which had taken very seriously the objectives of the partnership between Bulgaria and Nigeria”, the Ambassador said.
He also commended the minister of health and the Nigerian government for putting forward the initiative, while assuring of continuous support and extensive length of partnership between both countries to advance the health sector.
The Head of the European Union (EU) delegation to Nigeria, who was represented by Dr Anthony Ayeke, expressed his appreciation to NIPRD for initiating the partnership with the EU and the Bulgarian government towards the development of the draft national plan for local vaccines development in the country.
He explained that the high-level meeting served as a foundation to drive the robust implementation of the plan in the subsequent years.
Ayeke noted that, as one of the EU flagship programmes, the Biovaccines entity has been positioned to have vaccine hubs across the three Nigerian states of Kano, Lagos and Abuja, to serve and preserve vaccines and other health equipment for three geo-political zones in the country.
In his contribution, the Minister of State for Health, Dr Tunji Alausa, represented by Dr David Atuwo, acknowledged the visionary leadership of NIPRD in implementing critical interventions to catalyse the country’s health system in the thematic area of vaccines research and development.
Alusa, who highlighted the activities of the Federal Ministry of Health in the development of the National Vaccine Policy, stressed the necessity of review and validation of the draft roadmap to ensure the vaccine policy objectives are achieved.
Given NIPRD’s position as the lead agency for the thematic development of Nigeria’s local vaccine ecosystem, he emphasised that the deliberations at the conference aptly fitted into the plan of the current administration. He added that the discussions would enable stakeholders and policy-makers to address critical healthcare issues, as well as enhance entry of the pharma sector into the larger African market.
Alausa also assured of his ministry support for NIPRD’s activities, especially the production of vaccines in the country.
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