Brazilian Company to Build $240m Plant, 3 Other Countries to Manufacture Hospital Kits in Nigeria - Health Minister

Nigeria's efforts to attract greater foreign investment have been given a significant boost, as a Brazilian company has expressed interest in investing a minimum of $240 million to establish a pharmaceutical plant in Nigeria.
Besides the Brazilian company, three other international pharmaceutical companies are positioning themselves to invest and establish manufacturing facilities in Nigeria.

The exciting announcement about the involvement of a Brazilian firm in generic manufacturing in Nigeria was made by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, during a ministerial briefing to commemorate the first year of President Bola Tinubu's administration.

Prof Pate revealed that one of the firms is already producing test kits in Lagos, and the other two are en route to Nigeria.

Prof Pate emphasized the significant shift from the past 25 years, where such kits were imported, and highlighted the policy changes initiated by the President that are now promoting domestic production.

The minister also stated that under his leadership, there have been substantial improvements in healthcare delivery over the past year, with plans for further progress in the future.

He mentioned that at least 1,400 Primary Health Care Centers are now capable of providing skilled birth attendance, funded through the NPHCDA and the NHIA, covering 8,300 facilities.

Additionally, over 2,400 health workers, including nurses, doctors, and midwives, have been recruited to deliver essential services to Nigerians, particularly women in rural areas.

In terms of vaccination, Prof Pate reported that over 5 million Nigerian children have been vaccinated against diphtheria using pentavalent vaccine, and more than 10 million children received tetanus and diphtheria vaccines. Efforts are also being made to combat the circulating variant polio viruses in Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara, and Kebbi States.

"Over the past year, federal hospitals have completed 201 infrastructure projects and acquired 179 essential medical equipment, which were then distributed across the six geopolitical zones.

Approximately 4.5 million Nigerians received outpatient health services, and 1.6 million had inpatient admissions at 33 federal tertiary hospitals."

"We are currently observing a significant improvement in healthcare infrastructure, which is a clear indication of the President's effective leadership. There are plans in place for the groundbreaking ceremony of 10 healthcare infrastructure projects across the six geopolitical zones, including diagnostic and oncology centers, facilitated by the NSIA.

These developments are part of a larger initiative that involves collaborations between the public and private sectors.

The enrollment quotas for medical schools, nursing schools, and other health professional training institutions have seen a significant increase from 28,000 to 64,000 annually. However, the focus now is on ensuring that educational institutions improve their infrastructure and teaching materials to maintain quality while expanding quantity, particularly due to the shortage of healthcare workers.

Furthermore, a managed migration policy for health has been approved, with efforts being made to address the excessive workload of medical providers, particularly medical doctors. Over the past seven months, more than 100 young medical graduates have secured residency positions in the US, and we have facilitated their training and return home by issuing certificates of need. Additionally, the policy has been revised to include both domestically and internationally trained medical graduates. We are collaborating with the Ministry of Labor and the Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission to resolve longstanding compensation issues," Pate explained.