The National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) and the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Lafia (FUTHL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen collaboration in vaccine and drug research, development and clinical trials.
The agreement, signed on Friday in Abuja in the presence of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, aims to address longstanding gaps in Nigeria’s local production of vaccines, medicines and diagnostics.
FUTHL Chief Medical Director, Dr. Ikrama Hassan, described the partnership as timely, noting that Africa still produces “less than 10 per cent of the vaccines and drugs that we need on the continent.”
He said the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the continent’s vulnerabilities and underscored the urgent need for resilient research and manufacturing systems for vaccines and pharmaceuticals.
“We want to leverage the advantage that NIPRD has already developed so that, in no distant time, Nigeria can become one of the hubs—if not the most important hub—for vaccine and drug research,” Hassan said.
He disclosed that at least 200 hospital staff would participate in the collaboration, stressing that developing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) locally would allow Nigeria to own intellectual property for rapid response during future pandemics.
“If we have another pandemic and borders are closed, we should be able to develop our own vaccines and drugs. Today is a very historic day,” he added.
NIPRD Director-General, Dr. Obi Adigwe, said the MoU aligns with the institute’s strategy of forging high-impact partnerships that accelerate pharmaceutical innovation and capacity building nationwide.
Adigwe said implementation of the MoU would begin immediately, with quarterly progress updates to be provided to the minister. He also revealed that NIPRD had secured an £18 million agreement with the European Union—Africa’s largest research and development initiative.
He added that under the MoU, FUTHL would automatically benefit from upcoming training programmes, including reserved slots for 50 to 100 Nigerian scientists at Stanford University in February 2026.
“The selection process will be published and thousands will compete, but with this MoU, this organization automatically has secured slots,” Adigwe said.
He also noted that the collaboration would strengthen clinical trial capacity, citing NIPRD’s leadership in Nigeria’s first fractional-dosing COVID-19 vaccine trial, which would now extend to FUTHL.
Adigwe further outlined plans to advance phytomedicine research, highlighting Nasarawa State’s rich plant resources with ethnological value and potential to generate income for women and youths.
He said combining his private-sector experience with Hassan’s leadership in transitioning FUTHL from state to federal control would help align priorities and create commercialization pathways for research outputs.
“As interventions come from the partnership, there is a pipeline for them to be commercialized to earn revenue not only for Nigeria but also for the scientists and researchers involved,” he said.
The partnership is expected to bolster Nigeria’s position in Africa’s pharmaceutical innovation ecosystem and support ongoing national efforts to localize vaccine and drug manufacturing.
