By Adedapo Adesanya
President Bola Tinubu has called on the vaccine alliance, Gavi, to support Nigerian drug makers to be able to produce life-saving vaccines for children and adults.
At a meeting with a delegation of Gavi led by its Chief Executive Officer, Ms Sania Nishtar, at the State House in Abuja on Thursday, Mr Tinubu said partnerships on local vaccine production have become necessary owing to the challenges faced by developing countries, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and other infectious disease outbreaks.
A statement by the Special Adviser on Media to the President, Mr Ajuri Ngelale, quoted President Tinubu as assuring the Gavi CEO of Nigeria’s commitment to fulfilling its outstanding counterpart contributions for routine vaccines for the year 2023.
Mr Tinubu stated that his administration is focused on ensuring that no child is left behind when it comes to vaccination against preventable childhood diseases.
In her remarks, the Gavi CEO congratulated the Nigerian government on its innovative health-sector initiatives, including increasing budgetary allocations to health to 4.6 per cent and commitment to providing HPV vaccines for adolescent girls, among others.
She also announced Gavi’s commitment to providing a $250 million 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 to support the sustainable growth of Africa’s manufacturing base for vaccine production.