Nigeria, EU Seal New €130m Deals to Boost Local Health Manufacturing, Reproductive Health Systems
The European Union (EU) has reaffirmed its commitment to deepening collaboration with Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on health system strengthening, with a new agreement set to be signed under the Team Europe Initiative to advance local health manufacturing and reproductive health services.
Speaking on Thursday in Abuja at the EU–Nigeria Health Forum hosted by the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), and the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), the EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Mignot, said the new pact represents a milestone in transforming health cooperation from traditional aid to sustainable investment.
“This partnership demonstrates Team Europe’s collective resolve to invest in resilient health and social welfare systems across borders,” Mignot said.
He highlighted ongoing and new EU-supported projects worth over €130 million aimed at advancing Nigeria’s health manufacturing capacity.
These include the €18 million MathPlus Programme for local production of vaccines, medicines, and health technologies, and the Human Development Accelerator (HDX), a partnership between the European Investment Bank, the Gates Foundation, and the European Commission to de-risk and finance manufacturing investments.
“The projects will help accelerate Nigeria’s shift from aid dependence to peer-level collaboration and industrial health investment,” he said, adding that discussions are underway with local banks to support dedicated health financing facilities.
Ambassador Mignot noted that the EU’s approach through its Global Gateway strategy aims to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare sovereignty by promoting job creation, technology transfer, and affordable access to life-saving products.
“We continue to support Nigeria through our Global Gateway initiatives, particularly reproductive health and maternal and child health, where we have a large ongoing project of €45 million in Nigeria, and almost €25 million in West Africa, funded with Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the Gates Foundation.”
“Together, we are laying the groundwork for a ‘Made-in-Nigeria’ healthcare future that benefits all citizens,” he added.
Also speaking, the Ambassador of Belgium to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Pieter Leenknegt, said Belgium is proud to be part of the Team Europe effort, noting that the new agreement on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) underscores Europe’s commitment to inclusive healthcare.
Representing the Belgian Development Cooperation Agency (ENABLE) at the signing, Leenknegt explained that Belgian companies are increasingly engaging in Nigeria’s health ecosystem through vaccine production, medical technology distribution, cold chain management, and skills transfer.
“This partnership reflects Nigeria’s growing health sovereignty and our shared determination to strengthen regional capacities. It aligns with Belgium’s broader cooperation with the EU and the African Union on vaccine production and reproductive health access across West Africa,” he said.
He added that the agreement, which includes an ECOWAS dimension, “embodies the spirit of bioregional partnership and shared responsibility for sustainable health development.”
In his message, Vice-President Kashim Shettima said newly signed agreements with the European Union underline the federal government’s push to build an inclusive, innovation-led health economy.
Represented at the event by Dr. Uju Rochas, Shettima said President Bola Tinubu’s executive order on local pharmaceutical and medical device production has shifted policy from dependence to domestic ownership, citing the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain and the sector-wide approach as drivers of stronger governance and private investment.
“The message is clear, Nigeria is open for health investment, innovation and impact,” he said, calling for predictable regulations, robust institutions and public-private collaboration to attract makers and researchers.
Budget and Economic Planning Minister, Senator Abubakar Bagudu described the timing of the forum as opportune, noting that fiscal reforms and market size give Nigeria significant absorptive capacity.
He argued that mutual gains for Nigeria and EU partners are possible if political will and reform momentum continue.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate, who was represented by Pharm. Dr. Olubunmi Aribeana, reiterated that Nigeria’s Renewed Hope Health Agenda rests on three priorities, scale up local production of health commodities, broaden access to essential medicines and vaccines, and advance sexual and reproductive health rights.
He added that boosting domestic manufacturing is both an economic strategy and a national health-security imperative, central to achieving universal health coverage.
