President Bola Tinubu has called on the Vaccine Alliance, GAVI, to collaborate with potential Nigerian vaccine manufacturers to ensure equitable access to life-saving vaccines for children and adults.
Receiving a delegation of GAVI, led by its Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Sania Nishtar, at the State House, Abuja, President Tinubu said partnership on local vaccine production had become necessary owing to the challenges faced by developing countries, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and other infectious disease outbreaks.
The President assured GAVI CEO of Nigeria’s commitment to fulfilling its outstanding counterpart contributions for routine vaccines for the year 2023.
He directed the Co-ordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, to work with the Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance to ensure the release of necessary funds for vaccine procurement.
The President stated that his administration was focused on ensuring that no child would be left behind during vaccination against preventable childhood diseases.
President Tinubu acknowledged the invaluable perspective shared by the GAVI CEO, who hails from Pakistan, and emphasised the importance of leveraging her experience for the benefit of children’s health.
Commending Dr. Nishtar for her visit to Nigeria and support for the administration’s health-sector initiatives, the President pledged to prioritise investments in health sector renewal, noting the importance of co-ordination and collaboration among federal, state, and local governments.
The GAVI CEO had congratulated the Nigerian government on its innovative health-sector initiatives, including increasing budgetary allocations to health to 4.6 percent and commitment to providing HPV vaccines for adolescent girls.
She expressed readiness to collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to leverage policy instruments and technical expertise to advance health outcomes.
Dr. Nishtar announced GAVI’s commitment to providing a 250 million dollar grant support to Nigeria, as well as its dedication to addressing vaccine inequity in Africa through initiatives like the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator, which has earmarked 1 billion dollars to support the sustainable growth of Africa’s manufacturing base for vaccine production.
The GAVI CEO also informed the President that the GAVI Board would soon meet to decide on effective policy decisions on how Nigeria would receive support from the organisation, beyond 2028, and that her visit to the country was for discussions with Nigeria’s health managers.
Bello Wakili
