Nigeria has failed to secure a spot on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) list of countries set to gain vaccine prequalification due to inadequate capacity and infrastructure, raising concerns over the country’s long-term health security and competitiveness in the global biotech sector.
The Africa Centre for Disease Control (Africa CDC) recently announced that three African vaccine manufacturers from Egypt, Ghana, and Tanzania are on track to receive WHO prequalification for eight vaccines between 2025 and 2030. This development marks a major step in Africa’s drive toward self-sufficiency in vaccine production.
According to the Africa CDC, the next five years will be critical for scaling up vaccine production and securing regulatory approvals to meet global standards, positioning Africa as a key player in the global vaccine supply chain.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ workshop on malaria vaccine manufacturing in Abuja, Godwin Ntadom, National Coordinator of the Malaria Elimination Programme, confirmed that Nigeria was not among the manufacturers listed by Africa CDC. Ntadom, who represented the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, said Nigeria is still in the process of setting up its vaccine production facilities.
“The three manufacturers mentioned are not from Nigeria. They are from Egypt, Ghana, and Tanzania. However, Nigeria is making efforts to establish local manufacturing,” Ntadom said.
He stressed that local vaccine production remains a priority under the leadership of the Coordinating Minister, highlighting progress in pharmaceutical manufacturing. According to Ntadom, Nigeria has started producing essential medical products such as insecticide-treated nets and anti-malarial drugs, a milestone driven by increased government support.
Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry continues to lag behind other African nations in vaccine production. Senegal’s Institut Pasteur de Dakar produces WHO-approved yellow fever vaccines, while South Africa’s Biovac Institute has partnered with Pfizer-BioNTech to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines.
The Africa CDC has established the Regional Capability and Capacity Networks (RCCNs) to address the continent’s bio-manufacturing and research capacity gaps. The RCCNs will play a central role in developing Africa’s vaccine production workforce, with support from major institutions such as:
Institut Pasteur du Maroc (Morocco)
Unified Procurement Authority (Egypt)
Africa Biomanufacturing Institute (Rwanda)
Institut Pasteur de Dakar (Senegal)
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (South Africa)
The RCCNs were selected through a competitive process involving independent experts, who evaluated the institutions based on technical expertise, training capacity, and potential regional impact.
Africa has set a target to manufacture 40% of its vaccines locally by 2040, up from the current 1%. To meet this goal, the continent will need to increase its vaccine manufacturing workforce from 3,000 to over 12,000 full-time employees.
Ayuba Ibrahim, President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, attributed Nigeria’s slow progress in vaccine production to low investment and poor infrastructure. He noted that importing vaccines remains more profitable and commercially viable for investors.
“The absence of petrochemical plants, where essential inputs can be sourced, makes setting up drug manufacturing facilities extremely expensive,” Ibrahim said.
Simon Agwale, President and CEO of Innovative Biotech, described Nigeria’s reliance on vaccine imports as unacceptable. He stressed that the government must increase funding for research and development (R&D) to establish a sustainable vaccine manufacturing industry.
“Countries that invest heavily in R&D are more advanced than those that do not,” Agwale said, citing the U.S. National Institutes of Health, which has an annual budget of $42 billion—exceeding Nigeria’s entire national budget.
Agwale proposed an advanced purchase agreement as a solution to Nigeria’s vaccine production challenges. This model allows governments to secure future vaccine supplies at a predetermined price while encouraging local manufacturers to scale up production.
“During COVID-19, Nigeria spent billions to buy vaccines from foreign manufacturers. That money could have been used to support local manufacturers and build production capacity, just like the U.S. and India did. That has to change,” Agwale said.
As Africa’s vaccine market is projected to reach $1.58 billion by 2025, Nigeria faces mounting pressure to strengthen its manufacturing base and secure a share of the growing market.
 list of countries set to gain vaccine prequalification ...){kind=link}