EU, Nigeria partner to boost local manufacturing in health sector
In partnership with the Nigerian government’s Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC) and the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), the EU Delegation, on October 30 2025, hosted the first ever EU-Nigeria Health Investment Forum at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
The Forum themed, “Made in Nigeria. Made for Health” aimed to drive industrialisation and sustainable investment in Nigeria’s healthcare sector, and address the perennial capacity problem that mitigate effective healthcare delivery in the country. It brought together government officials, industry leaders, development partners and financers.
Conceived to boost local manufacturing, strengthen regulatory systems, and mobilise financing across Nigeria’s pharmaceutical and healthcare value chains, the EU-Nigeria Health Investment Summit was organised in the framework of the Global Gateway Initiative.
Ambassador Gautier Mignot described it as a defining moment for strategic partnership, a view echoed by the National Coordinator of PVAC, Dr. Abdu Mukhtar.
The significance of the event is evident in the three key agreements signed during the forum, with the potential to transform Nigeria’s healthcare manufacturing subsector. They include the Enabling Local Manufacturing of Health, Immunisation and Nutrition Commodities in Nigeria (ELM-N); Quality Uplift for Advancing Local Industry in Medicine Standards (Qualimeds Nigeria); and Strengthening SRHR in West Africa programmes.
The agreements are in line with the Global Gateway’s Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Technologies (MAV+) and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) initiatives.
At the event, Vice President Kashim Shettima, represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Health, Uju Rochas, said the signing of the agreements reaffirms the current administration’s resolve to build a sustainable, inclusive, and innovation-driven health economy.
Ambassador Mignot said the forum reflects Team Europe’s commitment to improving health systems through strategic investment and collaboration. According to him, by working alongside Nigerian authorities, the UN, the wider international community, and the private sector, robust, resilient, and efficient health and social welfare systems must be built to ensure prosperity for all. He described the EU as a long-standing partner of Nigeria and ECOWAS in improving access to health services, immunisation, medical research, and family planning, both through in-country programmes and contributions to multilateral platforms.
Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu, said the agreement is timely as Nigeria is implementing reforms to strengthen partnerships and expand investments aimed at making healthcare accessible and affordable.
“We continue to support Nigeria through our Global Gateway initiatives, particularly in reproductive health, maternal and child health, where we have ongoing projects worth €45 million in Nigeria and nearly €25 million across West Africa,” he said.
Participants at the forum said the signing of the agreements marks the beginning of a new phase of collaboration, driven by shared prosperity, technology transfer, and local innovation across Nigeria and West
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