GAVI, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation, is said to have provided over $732 million to Nigeria for vaccine procurement, cold chain infrastructure, and health systems strengthening over the last 24. With this and billions of naira committed by previous governments towards local production of vaccines, Nigeria still depends on international help to get millions of its citizens, especially the children immunized. Following massive cuts in global funding for vaccination, the die appears cast for Nigeria as thousands of children may not have access to vaccination in coming years. There are concerns that the country may witness a spike in preventable diseases and deaths if nothing drastic is done to address this challenge. Innocent Duru reports.
• Global cut in funding of vaccines puts thousands of Nigerian children’s lives in danger
• How corrupt official ate innocent children’s future
• Questions trail multi-billion naira investment in local vaccine production
In 2017, May and Baker Plc, an indigenous pharmaceutical industry reportedly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Government, to immediately begin local production of vaccines.
Under that agreement, Nigeria was expected to roll out its first locally produced vaccines by July 2019, beginning with the drugs against Yellow fever, Tetanus Toxoid and Hepatitis B.
To ensure that the firm being floated to achieve this target, Biovaccines Nigeria Limited, met the target May and Baker said it would need to invest $50 million (N18.5 billion) to resuscitate a manufacturing line at the defunct National Vaccine Production Laboratory (NVPL) in Yaba, Lagos, which it had acquired.
According to the MoU, the project, which is being handled through Biovaccines, will build local capacity in vaccine production as well as develop a centre of excellence for research and development of vaccine technology and other biologics.
May and Baker, confirming its involvement in Nigeria’s quest to produce vaccines locally, said on its website that it “ began an aggressive expansion and diversification programme since 2005 which has culminated in the creation of new businesses and subsidiaries. In 2005, Biovaccines, a local vaccine production subsidiary was set up in partnership with the Federal Government of Nigeria. In 2006, the company constructed a multi-billion naira food processing factory, constructed a local plant for the production of anti-retroviral drugs in Nigeria while the construction of a World Health Organization Standard Pharmaceutical production facility was completed and commissioned on June 27, 2011.”
However, eight years after the signing of the MoU, Nigeria is yet to start local production of vaccines. It still spends billions of naira annually to import vaccines highly subsidized by international organisations like GAVI.
A Public Health Physician, Dr Rotimi Adesanya says there will be grave consequences should Nigeria have challenges accessing vaccines as it has always done.
“The implication is that our infant mortality rate will worsen. All the things that the minister of health said are already improving will continue to get worse,” he told The Nation.
“Many of these diseases that vaccines prevent are deadly.”
Dr Adesanya recalled that the GAVI funds that would have benefitted the health sector was lost to corruption.
His words:“ The GAVI issue is in the public domain. We read about how corruption affected how those funds were utilized. GAVI actually supports immunization programme all over the world but in our own situation, the experience we had with GAVI is that corruption came in and many of the people that were programme managers, those who were in charge, allowed that money to be embezzled.
“Corruption set in and the money was not judiciously used. This led to why many funders had to withdraw because there was no transparency in the policy regarding how the money was used. Corruption made it impossible for us to use the GAVI funding very well. Corruption destroyed the stability of the programme.”
Dr Adesanya’s assertion was corroborated by reports of how Professor Oyewale Tomori, the distinguished virologist and former Vice-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University informed the world of the way in which avarice and ineptitude combined to undermine the effectiveness of Gavi’s interventions in Nigeria, thereby putting the lives of millions of children at risk.
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In an article entitled “The Shame of Nigeria’s Stalled Transitioning from Gavi Support,” he explained the brazen manner in which a total of US$7.6 million in Gavi funds were misappropriated. The organisation had undertaken an extensive audit of its programmes in Nigeria between January 2010 and March 2015, and found that $2.2 million and $5.4 million had gone into irregular or ineligible use.
After prolonged discussion, Nigeria agreed to return the misused funds to Gavi. An initial $5.4 million was paid; payment of the balance of $2.2 million became a condition for Gavi to consider Nigeria’s proposed request to extend its transition from Gavi support to 2028.
Alarmed by the development, Tomori reportedly asked: “How come a nation so rich with enough resources to fully vaccinate every child and more, is asking for such a long extension?”
Nigeria produced vaccines between 1940 to 1991
Time there was when Nigeria never depended on international organisations for supply or getting subsidized vaccines. The country produced its own vaccines to take care of its citizens.
Between 1940 and 1991,it was not only producing vaccines for smallpox, yellow fever, and anti-rabies vaccines, but also exported to Cameroon, Central African Republic and a few other countries.
However, in 1991 the Federal Vaccine Production Laboratory (FVPL) in Yaba, Lagos, stopped production ostensibly because the government wanted to reactivate and upgrade the facility, which never happened.Also, Nigeria spends over N8 billion annually importing vaccines into the country, with about 80 percent cost of vaccines being subsidized by Global vaccine initiative (GAVI).
Reacting to our question regarding the defunct centre, Dr Adesanya said: “The federal vaccine centre in Yaba was producing vaccines but not all the vaccines. Inconsistency in government policy affected the production of vaccines. This minister will come and bring a different policy, that one will come and bring his own policy. The fact that the country went through recession and all that affected the centre.
“But like I said earlier, such centres are heavily funded by non-governmental organisations and by the government in order for it to succeed. Inconsistency in policy affects funding for such centre.”
Continuing, Dr Adesanya said: “our population has increased. In those days, we were able to produce vaccines for the population but now the population has increased. The kind of population we have now especially for the paediatric age is very high. So, it will take a lot to be able to produce vaccine to meet that population.
“Our younger population is one of the highest in the world. We need a lot of resources to make such a place to be active. You can see how funding came during Covid 19. Oil companies, philanthropists and others put money together to curtail that pandemic that happened that time. Things like vaccine and vaccination go through a lot. Funding, unstable government, inconsistency in policy is what has affected the vaccine centre.”
FG releases N10b for vaccine production
The Federal Government in January 2021 announced the release N10 billion to support domestic vaccine production.
The then Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, during a briefing by the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 in Abuja said N10 billion was released by the Ministry of Finance to explore “options for licensed production in collaboration with recognised institutions.”
Dr Adesanya clarified that the N10 billion released by the federal government was just a seed money and not all that was needed to embark on local vaccine production.
“Production of vaccines involves a lot. If you look at a place like the US, apart from the funds that the government will put on the ground, there are different foundations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the rest that will also put their money into that research to make sure that they are able to produce quality vaccines that are safe for the environment,” he said.
“The funds that the Federal Government gave that time may not actually be enough to assist. This money given was for programmes. A lot of logistics are also involved. Things like paying royalty, flying experts from one country to the other, paying volunteers , then recruiting people. By the time they start putting money in different places that they are meant to be, it may not achieve much.”
Continuing, the physician said: “As I have said, in a place like the US, there are many foundations that inject funds into all these beyond what the government has done. We may not yet be there but if you look at the budget, it is not yet up to the 15 percent that is globally expected for health. Whatever the federal government gives, is still part of the health budget. The health budget in Nigeria is less than 10 percent,whereas WHO prescribes that 15 percent of a nation’s total budget should go to health.”
Fresh global health crises loom
WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi, during World Immunization Week in April, warned that outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, meningitis and yellow fever are rising globally, and diseases like diphtheria, that have long been held at bay or virtually disappeared in many countries, are at risk of re-emerging. In response, the agencies called for urgent and sustained political attention and investment to strengthen immunization programmes and protect significant progress achieved in reducing child mortality over the past 50 years.
“Vaccines have saved more than 150 million lives over the past five decades,” said WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“Funding cuts to global health have put these hard-won gains in jeopardy. Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases are increasing around the world, putting lives at risk and exposing countries to increased costs in treating diseases and responding to outbreaks. Countries with limited resources must invest in the highest-impact interventions – and that includes vaccines.”
The world bodies noted that measles is making an especially dangerous comeback. They stated that the number of cases has been increasing year on year since 2021, tracking the reductions in immunization coverage that occurred during and since the COVID-19 pandemic in many communities. Measles cases reached an estimated 10.3 million in 2023, a 20% increase compared to 2022.
The agencies warned that this upward trend may continue.
In the past 12 months, 138 countries have reported measles cases, with 61 experiencing large or disruptive outbreaks – the highest number observed in any 12-month period since 2019.
The agencies equally observed that meningitis cases in Africa also rose sharply in 2024, and the upward trend has continued into 2025. In the first three months of this year alone, they said, more than 5500 suspected cases and nearly 300 deaths were reported in 22 countries. This follows approximately 26 000 cases and almost 1400 deaths across 24 countries last year.
The statement further said that yellow fever cases in African are also climbing, with 124 confirmed cases reported in 12 countries in 2024. This comes after dramatic declines in the disease over the past decade, thanks to global vaccine stockpiles and use of yellow fever vaccine in routine immunization programmes. In the WHO Region of the Americas, yellow fever outbreaks have been confirmed since the beginning of this year, with a total of 131 cases in four countries.
These outbreaks, the agencies regretted, came amidst global funding cuts. A recent WHO rapid stock taking with 108 country offices of WHO – mostly in low- and lower-middle-income countries – shows that nearly half of those countries are facing moderate to severe disruptions to vaccination campaigns, routine immunization and access to supplies due to reduced donor funding. Disease surveillance, including for vaccine-preventable diseases, is also impacted in more than half of the countries surveyed.
At the same time, the agencies said the number of children missing routine vaccinations has been increasing in recent years, even as countries make efforts to reach children missed during the pandemic. In 2023, an estimated 14.5 million children missed all of their routine vaccine doses – up from 13.9 million in 2022 and 12.9 million in 2019. Over half of these children live in countries facing conflict, fragility, or instability, where access to basic health services is often disrupted.
“The global funding crisis is severely limiting our ability to vaccinate over 15 million vulnerable children in fragile and conflict-affected countries against measles,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
“Immunization services, disease surveillance, and the outbreak response in nearly 50 countries are already being disrupted – with setbacks at a similar level to what we saw during COVID-19. We cannot afford to lose ground in the fight against preventable diseases.Continued investment in the ‘Big Catch-Up initiative’, launched in 2023 to reach children who missed vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, and other routine immunization programmes will be critical.”
NAFDAC still hoping to achieve local production
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has continued to speak of its commitment to the commencement of local production of vaccines.
In 2021, the agency said it was being audited by the WHO to prepare Nigeria for local production of COVID-19 vaccines.
The Director-General of the NAFDAC Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye told stakeholders at a hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Safety Standards and Regulations in Abuja that the agency takes the issues of health, safety and environment seriously.
NAFDAC supervises 165 pharmaceutical industries, over 45, 000 food manufacturing industries and over 5000 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in the food and drug industry.
“The WHO is carrying out an audit of NAFDAC, which will enable the country to start manufacturing vaccines” Adeyeye, who was represented by the Director of Planning Research and Statistics, NAFDAC, Fori Tatama, said.
Four years after, NAFDAC is still hoping that the country will one day start local production of vaccines.
In October this year, Prof. Adeyeye, challenged pharmaceutical manufacturers in Nigeria to make bold investment decisions that will make the local production of human vaccines a reality.
She warned that Nigeria must not wait for another pandemic before getting prepared.
“When COVID-19 struck, we were at the mercy of other countries because we depended entirely on foreign supplies for vaccines. That experience should never repeat itself,” she said.
According to her, NAFDAC has strengthened its regulatory system through a major restructuring process in line with WHO’s global benchmarking standards to pave the way for vaccine manufacturing in Nigeria.
The agency, according to her, achieved WHO Maturity Level 3, ML3, in 2022 for medicines and imported vaccines, a global recognition that qualifies it as a functional regulatory authority.
She said that in November 2024, NAFDAC established a new Directorate of Vaccines, Biologics, and Medical Devices, following approval by the Head of Service of the Federation, to align with international best practices and ensure effective oversight.
“For NAFDAC to be benchmarked for vaccines and biologics, we needed a dedicated directorate,” she said.
“We are now operating at the same level as advanced countries.”
Expressing optimism that Nigeria would soon begin manufacturing its own vaccines, Adeyeye said:
“It will be exciting news for me if, before I leave office, Nigeria begins vaccine production. We’ve been producing veterinary vaccines since 1924, yet we still depend on foreign countries for human vaccines. That must change.”
She noted that Nigeria fulfilled nine WHO Global Benchmarking Tool modules, with NAFDAC responsible for eight of them, and has achieved ML3 for seven—except for locally manufactured vaccines, which are yet to begin.
“We are working towards ML3 for locally manufactured vaccines. WHO has verified our vaccine Lot Release indicators; what remains is local vaccine production, which will allow us to carry out facility inspections,” she added.
Adeyeye also revealed that NAFDAC is the only National Regulatory Agency (NRA), in sub-Saharan Africa with an in-house laboratory for vaccines, biologics, and medical devices.
“The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority has a vaccines lab, but it’s outsourced. Ours is fully in-house,” she said.
Speaking further, she urged manufacturers to seize the moment, noting that President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda encourages local manufacturing across sectors.
“We have capable scientists and a strengthened regulatory framework. We can start with the ‘Fill and Finish’ stage while developing full-scale manufacturing. Now is the time to get it done,” she said.
Corroborating the NAFDAC DG’s position, Mrs. Khadijah Ade-Abolade, Director of Vaccines, Biologics, and Medical Devices Registration and Regulatory Affairs, said the federal government is already playing a strategic role to ensure that vaccine production takes off in Nigeria.
“The regulatory framework is already established and functional for imported vaccines, and it will be applied to locally produced ones once manufacturing begins,” she explained
Ministry yet to respond
Effort to get the reaction of the Ministry of Health on why the country has not commenced local vaccine production was unsuccessful.
The spokesperson, Alaba Balogu, was yet to respond to our inquiry at press time.
