The Federal Government has welcomed the commencement of operations by Health Textiles Nigeria FZE, a new local manufacturing facility producing next-generation insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
The government described the development as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen malaria prevention and expand local manufacturing of essential health products.
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The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, said the commencement of local production of dual-active ingredient insecticide-treated nets marked an important development in Nigeria’s health system and the fight against malaria.
Professor Pate said the facility was established following a 2024 Memorandum of Understanding between Vestergaard and the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain, PVAC, aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s local production capacity for essential health commodities.
He said the initiative aligned with the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening health security by developing domestic capacity to manufacture essential health products, while creating jobs and strengthening the healthcare value chain.
The Coordinating Minister explained that the partnership between global expertise, Nigerian talent and local manufacturing would contribute to building a more resilient healthcare value chain and position Nigeria as a competitive manufacturing hub for Africa.
Also speaking, the National Coordinator of PVAC, Dr Abdu Mukhtar, said the commencement of production demonstrated the importance of aligning investment, technology transfer and government policy to develop sustainable local manufacturing capacity.
Dr Mukhtar stressed that the objective of the partnership went beyond attracting investment, noting that it was designed to translate collaboration into productive capacity, skills development and manufacturing capability in Nigeria.
He said the training of Nigerian professionals and commencement of production represented a model that could be replicated across other segments of the healthcare value chain.
The Chief Executive Officer of Vestergaard, Amar Ali, commended the Nigerian Government for its support, describing the commencement of operations as a new chapter in malaria prevention manufacturing in Africa.
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He said the facility would combine Nigerian talent with Vestergaard’s manufacturing expertise and innovative malaria prevention technologies to produce commodities that meet global standards of quality, compliance and performance.
Health Textiles Nigeria FZE, wholly owned by Vestergaard Sàrl, is the first facility in Nigeria to manufacture dual-active ingredient insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
The facility will produce PermaNet Dual, an advanced mosquito net designed to address the growing challenge of insecticide resistance and prequalified by the World Health Organisation in 2023.
At full production capacity, the facility is expected to manufacture about ten million mosquito nets annually and create more than 600 jobs in Nigeria.
The company has already recruited about 80 employees, with ongoing training in manufacturing excellence, product quality, occupational health and safety, as well as regulatory compliance.
The development comes amid the continuing burden of malaria in Nigeria and across Africa.
According to World Health Organisation estimates, malaria caused approximately 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths globally in 2024, with the African Region bearing the greatest burden. Nigeria accounts for about a quarter of global malaria cases.
With production now underway, Health Textiles Nigeria is expected to fulfil its first commercial orders in the coming months, further strengthening Nigeria’s capacity to manufacture critical malaria prevention commodities locally.
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The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare says local manufacturing remains a key component of the Federal Government’s efforts to build a resilient health system, reduce vulnerabilities in the supply of essential health commodities and create economic opportunities within the health sector.
The Ministry also stressed the need for stringent quality, regulatory and safety standards as domestic production expands, noting that locally manufactured health products must meet internationally recognised standards and remain fit for use in Nigeria and other markets.