Health
By Anthony Isibor.
THE INGO Third Sector Resource has organised a National Symposium on how to make Nigeria self-dependent on the manufacture of antiretroviral medicines and Vaccines for HIV, COVID-19, and other communicable diseases in collaboration with African Business Roundtable and Phoenix Africa.
The event, which took place on Thursday, March 17, 2022 in Abuja, was tagged “The implications on import dependence for vaccine and the need to accelerate Local Production in Nigeria in the context of the African Continental Trade Agreement, ACFTA”, and was chaired by Ogbonnaya Onu, the minister of science, technology and innovation.
The communique issued at the end of the conference said that the review of existing carrying capacities in-country and the strategies to accelerate local production of vaccines in view of the current global vaccine shortage as well as the opportunities presented by ACFTA, which the single regional market.
The communique, which was signed by Jamila Mohammed Kolo, Coordinator, and C.K. James, Secretary, noted the urgent need to strengthen the building blocks of Nigeria’s Healthcare System with emphasis on indigenous production of vaccines and allied health materials.
It stressed the importance of formulating appropriate policies and implement them strictly, ”if we are to be self-reliant as opposed to the current excessive reliance on imported medicines”.
“AfCFTA provides an opportunity to achieve this objective. In the light of this, there is need for innovation and creativity in putting Nigeria Heath System on the global map for healthcare provision thereby conserving the funds otherwise used for health tourism and importation of medicines.
“Deliberate policies to boost health technology transfer should be formulated and implemented as soon as possible.
“There is an urgent need to encourage the local manufacturing of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, APIs, to make Nigeria less dependent on importation of pharmaceutical raw materials.
“There is also an urgent need to facilitate local manufacture of Antiretroviral, ARVs, medicines and vaccines for People Living with HIV, PLHIVs, and other vaccine preventable diseases, with the aim of supplying local and international markets.”
The stakeholders also urged the government to develop a more robust engagement framework for encouraging Pharma companies and other stakeholders in the domestic production of ARVs, vaccines and other medicines as well as provide access to funding through appropriate financial institutions as soft loans for the purposes of domestic production of ARVs, vaccines and other medicines.
“A roadmap for local production of ARVs in Nigeria with timelines and peer review mechanism be set up, as well as tax breaks, zero import duty and easier access to foreign exchange for the purchase of machinery and raw materials.
“An emergency response plan with resources should be established to mitigate the adverse impact of any future pandemic, bio-attack or global disruption in supply chain.
“Adequate resources should be made available for research and development in healthcare and bio-security.
The stakeholders thanked the president for earmarking US$200 million through the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority for the initiative that will complement the Central Bank of Nigeria’s ongoing N85 billion Healthcare Sector Research and Development Intervention Scheme to support local researchers in the development of vaccines and other medicines to combat communicable and non-communicable diseases, including COVID-19, and also expresses delight in the growing interest by MDAs in the promotion of local manufacturing capacity in the health sector and called for greater collaboration.
The list of stakeholders in attendance included the Federal Ministry of Health represented by Pharm, Olubunmi Aribeana; the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, represented by Mohammed Bala; the National Primary Health Care Development Agency represented by Dogom Bala, Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, Sovereign Wealth Fund, represented by Tolulope Adewole, Shalina Healthcare represented by Arun Raj Managing Director, Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries represented by Chukwu Ekwe, Network of People Living With HIV AIDS in Nigeria, and NEPWHAN represented by Emmanuel Clifford National Secretary of the organisation;
Others were Younity Synergy Limited represented by Ugochukwu A. Okoroafor, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, represented by Khadijat Oladipupo, the Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs represented by Chinonyerem Akparanta, Think BI Ltd represented by Frank Iheanyi Dike, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria represented by Pharm. Aimola Kehinde, Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria represented by Eleanor Chinwe Nwaka, and Healthcare Federation of Nigeria, HFN represented by Kolapo Fapohunda.
– March. 18, 2022 @ 15:56 GMT |
A.I
Tags: ACFTA C.K. James Jamila Mohammed Kolo Ogbonnaya Onu Ugochukwu A. Okoroafor
