Biotech company 54Gene has upgraded Nigeria’s laboratory capacity for COVID-19 with a cell lab in Ogun, a state in the country’s southwestern country.
Apart from its DNA biobank laboratory in Lagos, the number of molecular laboratories in the Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) network of coronavirus centers stands at 17 as of today, reports Tech Cabal.
54Gene, a new and personal company, has played an active role in scaling up coronavirus testing in Nigeria. In March, the biotech startup introduced a fund aimed at expanding the country’s ability to detect the disease: a total of $500,000 was raised.
The mobile lab itself is a 12-meter tall container structure. It is designed as a plug and play feature that minimises the logistical challenges involved in shipping samples to another location for processing.
It is believed that the time and prices that will be stored due to the prefabricated nature of the laboratory will, in turn, be channeled towards more urgent infrastructure needs. Instead, attention should be paid to ensuring the availability of testing devices and protective devices for healthcare workers.
54Gene’s partners for the cell lab are First City Monument Bank (FCMB) and Argentil Capital Partners, an energy and infrastructure consulting firm in Nigeria.
The facility will be powered by a 10kVA solar power solution provided by partner Arnergy, a Nigerian renewable energy company.
COVID Testing in Nigeria
The slow pace of testing in Nigeria has drawn widespread criticism. Nigeria’s fitness government has begun taking steps to intensify its efforts over the past month. On March 30, when Lagos, Abuja and Ogun states entered a federally imposed lockdown, there were only six laboratories accredited to conduct testing.
Since then, more services have been added in states outside Lagos, the epicenter, and in northern Nigerian states such as Kano, where reports of deaths have sparked widespread concern.
54Gene plans to implement a cell laboratory in Kano soon.
Edited by Luis Monzón
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