- We Can Now Produce Our Own Vaccines – Mojisola Adeyeye
- Adeyeye urged pharmaceutical manufacturers to make bold investment moves that would translate Nigeria’s new capacity into actual local vaccine production
- Adeyeye also revealed that NAFDAC is the only regulatory agency in sub-Saharan Africa with an in-house laboratory for vaccines
Nigeria now has the capacity to manufacture its own human vaccines, following extensive regulatory reforms and system strengthening within the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by the agency’s Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola.
Adeyeye urged pharmaceutical manufacturers to make bold investment moves that would translate Nigeria’s new capacity into actual local vaccine production.
“We must decide as a country that we will not be too dependent on others. We will manufacture our own,” she said. “We should not wait for another pandemic before becoming fully prepared.”
The NAFDAC boss explained that the agency had strengthened its regulatory framework for vaccines, biologics, and medical devices to meet global standards, achieving Maturity Level 3 (ML3) in 2022, a certification granted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to confirm regulatory competence.
She noted that NAFDAC had since created a Directorate of Vaccines, Biologics, and Medical Devices in November 2024, after approval by the Head of Service of the Federation, to further enhance oversight and efficiency.
“We are working towards getting our ML3 for locally manufactured vaccines,” Adeyeye said. “WHO has already assessed our readiness for vaccine lot release, and we have met almost all requirements the next step is for manufacturers to start production.”
Adeyeye also revealed that NAFDAC is the only regulatory agency in sub-Saharan Africa with an in-house laboratory for vaccines, biologics, and medical devices, positioning Nigeria ahead of many regional peers.
Speaking on the next steps, she said vaccine production could begin in phases, starting with “fill and finish” operations before progressing to full-scale local manufacturing.
“We have capable scientists and the full support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu under the Renewed Hope Agenda. Now is the time to get it done,” she stated.
In her contribution, Mrs Khadijah Ade-Abolade, Director of Vaccines, Biologics, and Medical Devices, said all necessary regulatory systems including clinical trial oversight, post-market surveillance, and pharmacovigilance were already in place.
“The regulatory system for local vaccine manufacture is well established. We are simply waiting for manufacturing operations to begin,” she said.
Adeyeye added that the agency had developed clear guidelines for emergency preparedness against future epidemics, stressing that local vaccine production is a matter of national security as much as public health.
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