By Abasi Ita
The South-South Development Commission (SSDC) is exploring collaborative efforts to strengthen the region’s health security through a proposed partnership with indigenous pharmaceutical firm, Innovative Biotech Limited, for local vaccine production and procurement.
The initiative aims to establish a sustainable vaccine supply system to combat preventable diseases that continue to affect communities across the coastal South-South region.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to Innovative Biotech’s headquarters in Abuja, the Managing Director of SSDC, Mrs. Usoro Akpabio, said the engagement aligns with the Commission’s regional health resilience strategy and Nigeria’s broader goal of achieving self-sufficiency in essential medical supplies.
“Local content and Nigeria’s first policy is here to stay,” Akpabio stated. “Our engagement with the Primary Health Care Development Agency encouraged us to begin exploring partnerships with local manufacturers. Local vaccine production is crucial to building health resilience in the South-South.”
Akpabio identified the region’s frequent outbreaks of cholera, typhoid, and other preventable diseases as a major concern, noting that a structured vaccine procurement and distribution plan through SSDC would significantly reduce the disease burden.
She also underscored the importance of affordability in the planned collaboration. “There must be incentives to make these vaccines affordable. We cannot afford to be more expensive than foreign suppliers,” she added.
Discussions during the meeting focused on the potential production of vaccines such as Typhoid Conjugate, Cholera, HPV, and PCV, all of which address key public health challenges in the region.
The parties also explored possible training and capacity-building programmes for local health institutions to promote long-term vaccine sustainability.
Chief Executive Officer of Innovative Biotech Limited, Dr. Simon Agwale, who hosted the SSDC delegation, presented his company’s roadmap for developing end-to-end vaccine manufacturing capacity in Nigeria.
“We believe this engagement will help align procurement planning with Nigeria’s local production agenda, ensuring reliable, cost-effective, and resilient vaccine supply for the South-South region,” Dr. Agwale stated.
The SSDC, whose mandate covers health security, human capital development, and regional industrialisation, views the proposed vaccine partnership is a key part of its mission to promote accessible and affordable healthcare across the South-South region.