President Bola Tinubu has called on Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to collaborate with potential Nigerian vaccine manufacturers to ensure equitable access to life-saving vaccines for children and adults.

Mr Tinubu made the call at a meeting with a delegation of GAVI led by its CEO, Sania Nishtar, at the State House on Thursday in Abuja.

He said the partnership on local vaccine production had become necessary owing to the challenges faced by developing countries, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and other infectious disease outbreaks.

‘’We have capable and talented people who can make the necessary contributions to the production of vaccines in Nigeria and the rest of Africa,’’ the president said.

The president assured the GAVI delegation of Nigeria’s commitment to fulfilling its outstanding counterpart contributions for routine vaccines for the year 2023.

He directed the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, to work with the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, to ensure the release of necessary funds for vaccine procurement.

‘’We intend to contribute to the development of our healthcare programme, and we are committed to partnering with GAVI,’’ the president said.

Mr Tinubu stated that his administration was focused on ensuring that no child is left behind regarding vaccination against preventable childhood diseases.

‘’We as a nation are committed to your values, and we believe that no child should be left unprotected,’’ he said.

Mr Tinubu acknowledged the invaluable perspective shared by the GAVI CEO and emphasised the importance of leveraging her experience to benefit children’s health.

He also commended Nishtar for her visit and support for the administration’s health sector initiatives.

The president, who pledged to prioritise investments in health sector renewal, noted the importance of coordination and collaboration among federal, state, and local governments.

The GAVI CEO congratulated the Nigerian government on its innovative health sector initiatives, including increasing budgetary allocations to health to 4.6 per cent and committing to providing HPV vaccines for adolescent girls.

She expressed readiness to collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to leverage policy instruments and technical expertise to advance health outcomes.

Ms Nishtar announced GAVI’s commitment to providing Nigeria with a $250 million grant and its dedication to addressing vaccine inequity in Africa through initiatives like the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator.

She said the initiative had earmarked $1 billion to support the sustainable growth of Africa’s vaccine manufacturing base.

The GAVI CEO also informed the president that the GAVI board would be meeting in the coming weeks to make policy decisions that impact how Nigeria receives support from the organisation beyond 2028.

She added that her visit to the country was for discussions with Nigeria’s health managers.

(NAN)