By Leshi Adebayo
Barring any last-minute changes, Nigeria will soon begin the production of COVID-19 vaccines having met the recommendations listed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for Maturity Level Three status.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) revealed this on Monday.
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, at a ministerial press briefing on COVID-19 in Abuja, stated that Nigeria has met all the 868 recommendations of the W.H.O, saying the Maturity Level Three is a compulsory status for any country that wants to produce vaccines or any related activity.
She said, “The journey for the feat started in January 2018, and by October 2021, Nigeria through the efforts of NAFDAC, with support from Federal Ministry of Health, has met the recommendations.
“Having met all the criteria, we are waiting for the WHO officials to physically visit the headquarters of NAFDAC to assess the requirements before a final decision on Maturity Level Three status. What it simply means is that Nigeria is closer to manufacturing vaccines, and the success was as a result of a change in culture and way of doing things.”
Adeyeye confirmed that relevant infrastructures and procurements have been provided to support the desired objective.
“We have expanded our drugs laboratory in Yaba, and our vaccine laboratory is also being built in Oshodi, both in Lagos, and it will be completed soon,” she said.
