Stakeholders seek support for made-in-Nigeria diagnostics

International development organisations have called for stronger government procurement policies and predictable market demand to accelerate Nigeria’s local diagnostics manufacturing industry and strengthen the country’s health security.

The call was made during a high-level visit by executives from Roll Back Malaria, UNITAID, PATH and Solina to Codix Bio, one of Nigeria’s leading manufacturers of rapid diagnostic tests.

The visiting delegation stressed that government-backed procurement and long-term purchasing commitments are critical to enabling local manufacturers to scale production, improve competitiveness and reduce dependence on imported medical diagnostics.

Speaking during the visit, the Chief Executive Officer of Roll Back Malaria, Dr. Michael Adekunle Charles, said Nigeria has the capacity and ambition to become a leading diagnostics manufacturing hub in Africa but requires stronger institutional support.

According to him, countries such as Uganda have demonstrated how consistent government backing can help local manufacturers expand production and serve regional markets.

“In Uganda, diagnostic manufacturers receive full government backing. That changes everything,” Charles said.

“They manufacture not only for their own country but for more than twenty others. The question is how we position Codix Bio similarly and attract regional demand.”

He noted that pooled procurement and long-term volume guarantees would significantly improve factory utilisation while strengthening Africa’s preparedness for future public health emergencies.

Also speaking, UNITAID’s Director of Strategy, Janet Grinard, described Nigeria as a strategically important manufacturing hub for health products across Africa.

She said the organisation is working to create more predictable and sustainable markets that encourage manufacturers to invest while improving access to quality diagnostics and other essential healthcare products.

“Our work focuses on creating stronger, more predictable markets that enable manufacturers to invest confidently while improving access to quality health products,” Grinard said.

She identified fragmented procurement systems, inconsistent demand and financing constraints as some of the major obstacles facing local manufacturers, adding that stronger collaboration between governments and development partners could help address the challenges.

Responding, Group Chief Executive Officer of Codix, Sammy Ogunjimi, said the company has continued to expand despite the difficult operating environment.

He disclosed that Codix currently operates in 12 African countries and exports diagnostic products to several markets across the continent. He added that Global Fund-supported procurement has enabled the company to supply locally packaged HIV diagnostic kits within Nigeria as well as to Ghana and Sierra Leone.

However, Ogunjimi said local manufacturers remain at a disadvantage when competing with imported products produced under more favourable financing and infrastructure conditions.

“Local manufacturers compete against imported products produced under significantly lower financing and infrastructure costs,” he said.

He explained that high borrowing costs, dependence on imported raw materials, inadequate infrastructure and evolving regulatory requirements continue to drive up production costs despite Nigerian manufacturers meeting international quality standards.

Ogunjimi called on the government to introduce ring-fenced procurement quotas for locally manufactured diagnostics, arguing that guaranteed local patronage would stimulate industrial growth, create jobs and enhance Nigeria’s health security.

The stakeholders agreed that stronger collaboration among governments, development partners and manufacturers will be essential to building resilient healthcare supply chains capable of responding effectively to future disease outbreaks and public health emergencies.

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