Minister of State for Health, Iziaq Salako, says Nigeria is not yet able to produce vaccines locally.
Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television on Thursday, Salako addressed the country’s current capacity for vaccine production.
Asked whether Nigeria could manufacture vaccines at this time, he replied, “Unfortunately, not. One of the key priorities under the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Health Value Chain is to promote local vaccine development.”
Salako stressed that vaccine production requires rigorous economic and technical evaluation, noting that local manufacturing must be commercially viable.
“It is not enough to say you want to produce vaccines. You must consider comparative advantage. If producing locally costs more than importing, then it defeats the purpose. All the necessary analyses must be done,” he said.
He added that although Nigeria’s population of more than 240 million people is a potential advantage, local manufacturers must still meet global standards.
“When you produce a vaccine that is not used globally, that becomes a challenge. It involves high-end technology, and we can’t rush into it,” he said.
Health security
Salako also assured Nigerians that the country’s health security system remains robust and prepared for global disease outbreaks.
“We have no cause for panic. There is 24/7 preparedness and constant surveillance to ensure health security,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria’s pandemic preparedness has “improved significantly,” with detection and prevention capacity rising from 39 to 55 per cent. He cautioned Nigerians against self-diagnosis, noting that “not every flu-like illness should be termed COVID-19.”
The minister further disclosed that about 78 per cent of federal hospitals—including medical centres, teaching hospitals, and specialist hospitals—have been digitised. This digitisation, he said, has streamlined hospital operations and eliminated the need for physical patient cards.
Health workforce migration and immunisation efforts
On the migration of Nigerian health professionals, Salako attributed the trend to a global shortage of health workers, not just local factors.
He noted that several countries, especially in Europe, have achieved high vaccination coverage, up to 97 per cent for DTP3 vaccines, highlighting the global progress Nigeria aims to match.
Nigeria, he said, continues to strengthen its immunisation programmes in collaboration with WHO and UNICEF. The government recently launched a nationwide campaign targeting measles-rubella, polio, HPV, and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
