Vaccines produced in Nigeria including those for COVID-19, will be of internationally acceptable standard, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said.
The agency described the federal government’s huge spending on the fight against COVID-19 as exemplified by the construction of the new COVID-19 laboratory, equipped with modern instruments and amenities at the agency as a wake-up call for the country.
Director- general, NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, made the pledge during an oversight visit to the NAFDAC facilities and COVID-19 laboratory projects in Lagos by the House of Representatives Committee on COVID-19.
She noted with dismay that the health sector had hitherto been neglected before the present administration responded through the COVID-19 Committees of the National Assembly.
To ensure that the health sector is strengthened, Prof Adeyeye in a statement signed by the agency’s resident media consultant, Sayo Akintola, pointed out that the regulatory agency must be strengthened.
“We have the African Free trade Agreement already here with us now for the nation’s pharmaceutical industry to take advantage of with quality products.
“There will be a lot of competition and if NAFDAC’s laboratory is not strengthened, we will not be able to compete.
“For vaccine, we are hoping that the vaccine facilities from the public- private partnership will soon happen, but if the regulatory agency is not strong, we can make vaccine that will destroy our own people.”
With NAFDAC now very strong with WHO Maturity Level 3 certification, Prof Adeyeye said, “Nigeria can now make her own vaccines and we can assure the populace that there is quality in whatever is being manufactured because of NAFDAC’s strength.”
On the impact that COVID-19 fund has made, she said this should resonate well with the whole country if the right people are in the right places, then the vison of the government can be realised.
She commended the House COVID-19 committee, and the Healthcare Services Committee of the 9th Assembly for committing to ensuring that NAFDAC as a regulatory agency is being known internationally.
Speaking in the same vein, chairman, House Committee on COVID-19, Hon. Haruna Mshelia, commended the DG NAFDAC and her management team for leveraging on latest technology to upgrade the agency to a standard that is next to none in Africa.
