FG, Caring Cross, International Partners Collaborate on Medicine Security
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening scientific capacity and translating emerging technologies into impactful healthcare solutions for Nigerians.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Adekunle Salako, stated this during a ministerial engagement in Abuja with a delegation from Caring Cross and other international partners. The delegation was led by the Director-General of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Obi Adigwe.
Salako said the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has placed high priority on health and contextual research, noting that key initiatives such as PVAC and the Pharma Sector Presidential Order have strengthened health security, stimulated economic growth and created employment opportunities through evidence-based reforms and value-chain transformation.
He said the interventions reflect the administration’s effort to strategically align government, industry, academia and communities to improve healthcare outcomes. According to him, the ministry’s mandate is to coordinate institutions, foster collaboration, drive innovation and ensure that these efforts translate into measurable benefits for Nigerians.
Salako added that under Tinubu’s leadership, a strong culture of collaboration has supported an all-of-government approach and broader African partnerships aimed at equipping clinicians and scientists with access to global expertise, partnerships and cutting-edge technologies.
“These skills are indispensable if we are to deliver locally relevant solutions, strengthen medicine security and build resilient health systems across Africa,” he said.
The minister described the engagement as a critical step toward expanding access to advanced medical treatments in Africa. He said discussions focused on leveraging the science of Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy to improve access to care, noting that many Africans have been excluded from innovative treatments because of limited engagement with emerging scientific opportunities.
Salako disclosed that the Federal Government had constituted a National Phytomedicines Development Committee to harness local biodiversity and develop world-class health products through homegrown processes.
He said shortly after the committee was inaugurated, its chairman, Adigwe, briefed the ministry on progress made, including collaboration with Chinese partners.
Recalling the development of Artemisinin, Salako noted that Chinese scientists used translational research to transform a centuries-old herbal remedy into one of the world’s leading malaria treatments. He said the work not only earned international recognition but also created major economic value while improving global health outcomes.
He noted that Africa remains the only continent yet to fully leverage CAR T-cell therapy in a robust and coordinated manner.
“Our gathering here today symbolises only the first step in our journey to leverage this model, and others like it, in addressing the pressing health challenges on the continent,” he said.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom, represented by John Ovoraye, said the ministry remained committed to strategic partnerships that support the achievement of presidential priorities in the health sector.
She described the engagement as a reflection of a shared determination to strengthen Nigeria’s health system through innovation, collaboration and sustainable investment.
Kachollom welcomed Caring Cross, describing it as a United States-based non-profit organisation with expertise in molecular and genetic research, including CAR-T therapies and stem cell implants. She said these emerging areas of medicine hold significant promise for treating complex diseases and represent an important frontier in modern healthcare.
She also commended the collaboration between Caring Cross and NIPRD, particularly efforts aimed at exploring investment opportunities in local manufacturing and delivery of CAR-T and gene therapies in Nigeria.
The leader of the delegation, Boro Dropulic, said the organisation played a pioneering role in developing viral vectors used to deliver genes in human therapies and helped establish their safety standards.
He said Caring Cross is focused on making cellular gene therapies more affordable and accessible, while noting the rising burden of sickle cell disease and blood cancers in Nigeria, including leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, with growing paediatric involvement.
Adigwe said NIPRD has adopted an all-of-government and all-of-Africa approach in implementing strategic interventions.
He disclosed that Nigeria secured an 18 million euro vaccine research and development grant for Africa, signed on October 30, 2025, adding that six agencies are already working with expertise from UNICEF to implement the programme.
He also said a framework has been developed to position Nigeria at the forefront of future interventions, with partnerships already being explored for collaborative clinical trials with countries including Egypt, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Morocco and Ghana.
According to him, the current administration has also secured a major contextual grant through Afreximbank for active pharmaceutical ingredients, with the project now about 90 per cent completed.
He added that in collaboration with Stanford University, Nigeria recently hosted nearly 100 African scientists who were trained by Stanford professors and other experts in translational research.
