Juliet Jacob 
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye
ABUJA, Nigeria – The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has urged Nigerian pharmaceutical firms to invest in local vaccine manufacturing to prevent dependence on foreign donors during health emergencies.
NAFDAC’s Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said in a statement on Sunday that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed Nigeria’s vulnerability. “Nigeria should not wait for another pandemic before preparing. We must produce our own vaccines,” she warned.
She explained that NAFDAC has established a Directorate of Vaccines, Biologics, and Medical Devices to strengthen regulatory oversight and align with global standards. “You cannot have one director overseeing seven product categories and expect effectiveness,” she said.
NAFDAC attained WHO Maturity Level 3 in 2022 for medicines and imported vaccines, qualifying it to regulate vaccine manufacturing. However, Adeyeye said full WHO benchmarking would require local production to begin.
“It will be a milestone for Nigeria’s health security,” she added, expressing optimism that vaccine production would commence before her tenure ends.
Khadijah Ade-Abolade, Director of Vaccines Registration, confirmed that all regulatory structures are in place and that only production needs to start.
“The time to act is now,” Adeyeye stressed, linking the initiative to President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
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Oluwatobi Adu 
Oluwafunbi Bello 
Korede Abdullah 