By Hassan Zaggi
Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, has expressed optimism that with the appointment of Prof Muhammad Ali Pate as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GAVI Vaccine Alliance, Nigeria will soon start the indigenous production of vaccines.
He made the remarks at a dinner organized by Friends of
Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate to celebrate his appointment as the new GAVI chief executive in Abuja, weekend.
While describing Prof. Pate’s appointment by GAVI as well-deserved, noted that: “I received the news of the appointment of Prof Pate with great excitement. He is someone I have so much respect for and he deserves that position.
“He is the first Nigerian and also the first African to hold that position. It was a validation because entrusting such a position to Nigeria is also saying something about us.
“Not long ago, we got a very good news that we are getting to be in the good books of the Global Fund because not too long ago, they gave us a very generous grant the largest grant they have ever given to any country.
“These are expressions of faith and confidence in all the processes that this country has put in place, and also a recognition of the new image of the country”.
Dr. Ehanire further stressed that Prof Pate’s appointment has improved and brightened Nigeria’s chances of commencing local production of vaccines.
He disclosed that Nigeria has concluded plans to develop strategy for vaccine production as a matter of urgency, and therefore, called for what he described as a multi-focal approach to vaccine production as matter of global health security.
The Minster reiterated that vaccine manufacturing is a global security, stressing that “we do not know what will happen in any place but if you look at the impact of the Russia/ Ukraine war, a lot of fall out was observed even in far away countries as grains, gasoline petroleum products became in short supply.”
This, according to him, showed that that what happens in one remote place can affect others and if you are producing vaccine in one part of the world, if anything happens to that particular continent, the rest of the world suffer.
“I had always advocated for a multi-focal approach to vaccine production as a matter of global health security issue.
“Apart from the ministry of health, many people here will recall the agony we suffered when the COVID-19 vaccines were first released, those who produced these vaccines were taking care of themselves without leaving any room for Africa and that was when the President declared vaccine manufacturing a national security item.
“We have been at that, preparing and working to indigenously have a vaccine production site. We have troubled NAFDAC until we got the World Health Organisation (WHO) Maturity Level 3 which allows us to regulate vaccine manufacturing in Nigeria and we are gunning for Maturity Level 4.
“So with Prof Pate in charge of GAVI Vaccine Alliance, our chances are again improved to support the capacity to manufacturing of vaccine,” the Minister said.
In his remarks, the Chairman Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, noted that Prof Pate has the intellect, capacity and ability to achieve beyond expectation.
He said that Nigeria has an opportunity to support Prof. Pate to succeed so that he can also support routine immunization and primary healthcare in the country.
