LAGOS (Reuters) – Nigeria will partner with the Serum Institute of India to begin local production of vaccines used in the country’s vaccination programs, Health Minister Osagie Ehanire said on Wednesday.
Africa’s most populous country imports all its vaccines, adding those used to prevent polio, measles and tuberculosis, but it’s for foreign partners to produce at home.
“We hope to start production of some of the vaccines (that) Serum Institute India manufactures and pass on the generation and skills to our people,” Ehanire said after the Nigerian cabinet approved the deal with Serum Institute, the world’s largest vaccine producer.
“We’re talking about regimen vaccines first, the ones that (stop) the popular vaccination program, not the COVID-19 vaccine. “
Ehanire said the venture between Bio Vaccine Nigeria and Serum Institute would start by generating 15% of the vaccines used in local vaccination. The government has a 49% stake in Bio Vaccine and private investors the rest.
(Reporting via Felix Onuah, editing via MacDonald Dzirutwe and Bill Berkrot)
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