The minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, says strengthening Nigeria’s capacity to manufacture critical health products locally is central to improving the country’s health security.
Professor Pate stated this at an event marking the commencement of commercial production of insecticide-treated nets by Harvestfield Healthcare FZE at its manufacturing facility in Ogun State.
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The minister said the establishment of a Nigerian-based facility capable of producing insecticide-treated nets to international standards represents the type of domestic manufacturing capacity the Federal Government seeks to promote under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He said locally manufactured health products would strengthen the country’s ability to meet critical healthcare needs while reducing dependence on imports.
According to him, the facility is already producing next-generation insecticide-treated nets to international standards and supplying programmes across 31 states.
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Pate said the development demonstrates the potential for Nigeria to build a stronger domestic health manufacturing base.
Also speaking, the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain, Dr Abdul Mukhtar, said the initiative was designed to support Nigeria’s transition from importing healthcare products to producing them locally.
Dr Mukhtar stressed that the existence of a manufacturing facility alone was not sufficient, noting that products must meet internationally accepted standards and have the capacity to supply the market at scale.
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He said strengthening domestic manufacturing was part of efforts to build a more resilient healthcare value chain and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported health products.
The development comes as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to expand local production of essential healthcare commodities and strengthen domestic manufacturing capacity across the health sector.