Why Nigeria Cannot Produce Vaccines — Minister

Why Nigeria Cannot Produce Vaccines - Minister

Nigeria’s inability to produce vaccines locally remains a pressing concern for the nation’s health security and economic independence.

In a recent interview, the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Salako, explained that the country is not yet capable of manufacturing vaccines due to a combination of economic, technical, and strategic challenges. His remarks shed light on the complex realities behind vaccine production and the hurdles Nigeria must overcome to achieve self-sufficiency.

Dr. Salako emphasized that vaccine production is not simply a matter of political will or national ambition. It requires advanced technology, significant investment, and a careful analysis of comparative advantage.

If producing vaccines locally costs more than importing them, he argued, then the effort becomes economically unsustainable. Nigeria must therefore weigh the benefits of local production against the realities of global competition and market dynamics.

The minister also pointed out that vaccine development is a high-end technological endeavor. Producing vaccines that are not widely accepted or used globally poses a challenge, as international standards and demand must align with local capacity. Nigeria’s large population of over 240 million people provides a potential market, but without integration into global supply chains, local production risks being isolated and inefficient.

Despite these limitations, Dr. Salako assured Nigerians that the country’s health security system remains strong. He highlighted improvements in pandemic preparedness, noting that Nigeria’s ability to detect and prevent outbreaks has risen from 39 to 55 percent.

Additionally, about 78 percent of federal hospitals have been digitized, streamlining operations and improving patient care. These advancements, while not directly solving the vaccine production gap, demonstrate progress in strengthening the broader health infrastructure.

The minister also addressed the ongoing migration of Nigerian health professionals, attributing it to a global shortage of healthcare workers rather than solely domestic issues. He stressed that Nigeria continues to partner with international organizations such as WHO and UNICEF to expand immunization coverage, with recent nationwide campaigns targeting measles-rubella, polio, HPV, and other diseases.

Nigeria’s inability to produce vaccines locally is thus not a reflection of neglect but of structural challenges that demand long-term solutions. Achieving vaccine independence will require sustained investment in biotechnology, stronger partnerships with global institutions, and reforms that make local production economically viable.

Until then, Nigeria must balance reliance on imports with efforts to build capacity, ensuring that its citizens remain protected while laying the groundwork for future self-reliance.