In order to guarantee that children and adults have fair access to life-saving vaccinations, President Bola Tinubu has urged Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to work with possible Nigerian vaccine manufacturers.
President Tinubu said that cooperation on domestic vaccine production has become essential due to the difficulties faced by developing nations, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and other infectious disease outbreaks, during a meeting with a delegation of GAVI led by its Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Sania Nishtar, at the State House on Thursday.
“We have capable and talented people who can make the necessary contributions to the production of vaccines in Nigeria and the rest of Africa,’’ the President told the visiting CEO, who assumed office on March 18, 2024, and has embarked on visits to some African countries.
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 Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, to work with the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance to ensure the release of necessary funds for vaccine procurement.
“We intend to contribute to the development of our healthcare programme, and we are committed to partnering with GAVI,” the President said.
The GAVI CEO also informed the President that the GAVI Board will be meeting in the coming weeks to decide on policy decisions that will impact the way in which Nigeria receives support from the organization, beyond 2028, and that her visit to the country was for discussions with Nigeria’s health managers.
