…Salako, medical experts demand local manufacturing, quality standards
The Federal Government has stepped up efforts to boost local production of medical diagnostic products, saying Nigeria must reduce its dependence on imports and build a stronger domestic diagnostics industry.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, stated this on Wednesday in Abuja at the 28th Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Guild of Medical Laboratory Directors.
Salako, represented by the Director and Head of Medical Laboratory Services Division in the ministry, Dr Emeka Elom, described medical diagnostics as a strategic national asset critical to healthcare delivery, disease surveillance and public health decisions.
He said achieving diagnostic sovereignty required more than producing tests locally, stressing the importance of technology transfer, research and innovation, effective regulation, sustainable procurement and strategic partnerships.
“The Federal Government recognises diagnostics as a strategic national asset,” Salako said.
“Nigeria’s path towards diagnostic sovereignty requires more than local production; it requires stronger national capacity, technology transfer, research and innovation, effective regulation, sustainable procurement and strategic partnerships that can generate access to quality, affordable and timely diagnostic services.”
The National President of the GMLD, Dr Samuel Fele, called for an end to Nigeria’s heavy dependence on imported diagnostic reagents, consumables and equipment.
Fele said the country needed to build a competitive and sustainable local manufacturing industry capable of serving both Nigeria and the wider African market.
He said the conference theme, “From Diagnostic Sovereignty to Market Readiness: Building Nigeria’s End-to-End Diagnostics Ecosystem,” should be treated as a call to action.
“The question is no longer whether Nigeria can produce the diagnostic products, but whether we can establish a competitive, sustainable, innovative and quality-assured diagnostic industry capable of serving Nigeria and the broader African market,” Fele said.
According to him, Nigeria’s prolonged reliance on imported diagnostic products has resulted in lost opportunities for employment, industrial growth and technological development.
He noted that the African in-vitro diagnostics market, valued at $1.33bn in 2024, alongside growing demand for point-of-care and rapid diagnostic services, presented opportunities for Nigerian manufacturers.
Fele, however, warned that local production must not compromise quality.
He called for an end-to-end diagnostic ecosystem linking research, innovation, manufacturing, regulation, quality assurance, distribution, laboratories, healthcare providers, patients and data.
“If any link in this chain is weak, the entire system remains vulnerable,” he said.
He also demanded stronger quality management systems, regulatory oversight, proficiency testing and compliance with recognised standards.
“Let me be unequivocal: diagnostic sovereignty must never come at the expense of quality and standards,” Fele stated.
The GMLD president further called for government policies, financing, infrastructure, research grants and procurement systems capable of creating predictable demand for locally manufactured diagnostic products.
“Domestic production cannot be sustained without reliable demand,” he said.
Fele urged stakeholders to move beyond repeated discussions about import dependence and begin implementing practical solutions.
“We have been hearing this over the years. We have been relying on imported goods, imported this and all that. It has become a cliché. The time has now come to move on into action,” he said.
Renowned virologist and Chairman of Biovaccines Nigeria Limited, Prof Oyewale Tomori, also stressed the importance of developing a viable domestic market for locally manufactured diagnostics.
“You cannot have a king without his subjects. The first thing is to understand what the market needs and work to meet the need. We must get the market ready. The ready market will be a consumer for products produced locally,” Tomori said.
He also raised concerns about the prolonged efforts to establish local vaccine manufacturing, urging stakeholders to remove institutional barriers that could frustrate domestic production.
The keynote speaker and Executive Director of KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation, Dr Mustapha Gidado, said the success of diagnostic sovereignty should ultimately be measured by its impact on patients.
“Neither sovereignty nor market readiness should be a final destination on its own. The final destination must be the patient,” Gidado said.
He clarified that diagnostic sovereignty did not mean Nigeria must manufacture every instrument, reagent or component locally.
Rather, he said the country should have the capacity to determine its diagnostic needs, assess available technologies and ensure that products meet required quality standards.
“Sovereignty is not substandard. Sovereignty is not a quality reduction. Sovereignty is matching the standard,” he said.
Gidado also advocated a connected national diagnostic network through which patients, samples and results could move efficiently across the health system.
He stressed that predictable demand would be necessary to attract sustained investment into local manufacturing.
Medical laboratory scientist, Prof Dennis Agbonlahor, meanwhile, recalled the role of laboratory investigation in the identification of Lassa fever following an investigation into mysterious deaths in an Edo community.
He said the experience demonstrated the importance of medical laboratories in detecting infectious diseases and responding quickly to public health threats.
Agbonlahor also called for greater unity within the medical laboratory profession, saying internal disagreements had affected professional interaction.
The conference brought together medical laboratory professionals, researchers, policymakers, regulators, manufacturers and other stakeholders to deliberate on local production, regulation, quality assurance, procurement and access to diagnostic services.
The push for local diagnostic manufacturing comes amid concerns over Nigeria’s dependence on imported medical products and the need to strengthen domestic health manufacturing, laboratory systems and preparedness for disease outbreaks.
