The Federal Government, in collaboration with the European Union (EU) and ECOWAS, signed three pivotal agreements on Thursday, 30th October.
These agreements, part of the EU Global Gateway Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines, and Health Technologies (MAV+) initiative and SRHR flagships, will empower a new generation of local producers and innovators to build a stronger, more resilient health ecosystem across Nigeria and West Africa.
The agreements entail: Enabling Local Manufacturing of Health, Immunisation and Nutrition Commodities in Nigeria (ELM-N), Quality Uplift for Advancing Local Industry in Medicine Standards (Qualimeds Nigeria) and Strengthening Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in West Africa.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima noted during the Nigeria-EU Health Investment Forum in Abuja, hosted by the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), and the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), that the signing of the agreements reiterates the federal government’s resolve to build a sustainable, inclusive, and innovation-driven health economy.
He underscored the importance of President Bola Tinubu’s Executive Order on local production of pharmaceuticals and medical devices, noting, “Through initiatives like the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC) and the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp), this administration has strengthened health governance, stimulated investment, and promoted local manufacturing.”
Shettima, represented by Dr. Uju Rochas, Senior Special Assistant on Public Health, Office of the Vice President, emphasized the federal government’s resolve to foster an enabling environment for investors and innovators through stable regulations, strong institutions, and partnerships between the public and private sectors.
He said, “Our message is clear: Nigeria is open for health investment, innovation, and impact. The President has declared that Nigeria’s health transformation will not be driven by aid and dependency alone, but by government to drive ownership, accountability and innovation: Made in Nigeria, for Nigerians, and by Nigerians.”
Commending the EU, PVAC, NIPRD, and other development partners for their commitment to advancing health security, technology transfer, and industrialisation in Nigeria, he added, “As we formally declare this forum open and witness the signing of these landmark agreements, let it mark the beginning of a new chapter, one defined by shared prosperity, local innovation, and global collaboration.”
According to Gautier Mignot, EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, the forum exemplifies Team Europe’s collective commitment to improving health across borders through targeted investments.
“By collaborating with all partners, including Nigerian Authorities, the United Nations, the international community, and the private sector, we must establish robust, resilient, and efficient health and social welfare systems to ensure prosperity for all,” he emphasized.
He pointed out that the EU has been a long-standing partner of Nigeria and ECOWAS in health, supporting health in all its dimensions; from access to health services and large-scale immunisation, to polio eradication, medical research, and family planning: both through in-country programmes and contributions to multilateral pharmacies.
We are dedicated to continuing our support for Nigeria through the Global Gateway initiatives, with an emphasis on reproductive health and maternal and child health.
Notably, we have a large-scale ongoing project in Nigeria valued at €45 million, in addition to a €25 million project in West Africa, made possible through our partnership with Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the Gates Foundation.
He noted that “We also have forthcoming initiatives focused on digital health and public health systems. However, our primary objective is to facilitate the paradigm shift underway in Nigeria and West Africa, transitioning from aid to peer-to-peer collaboration, and from standalone projects to a dynamic investment strategy.
This is precisely what our Global Gateway Investment Strategy entails.”
Mignot added that “Beyond these important assignment that are going to be signed today, this event was designed to showcase our shared way to invest and commit, bringing together our companies, banks, and financial institutions to network and to discuss today’s investments, opportunities in health, and plan those of future generations
About the Author
