Biovaccines Nigeria Limited (BVNL), a joint venture between the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) and May & Baker Nigeria Plc, is set to commence the production of vaccines before the second quarter of 2023.
This was disclosed by the Managing Director of May & Baker Nigeria Plc, Mr Patrick Ajah, on Wednesday in Lagos.
He added the company already has a site in Ota where the factory will be built.
More details: Mr Ajah said that the FEC approved the first part of the MoU of Biovaccines on Sept. 14, 2022, with the Federal Ministry of Health for the supply of routine immunisation vaccines.
- “This is the first/major step toward vaccine production in Nigeria, as this allows Biovaccines to commence the engagement with the chosen technology transfer partners and subsequently initiate the design and construction of the greenfield project.
- “We are optimistic that the ground-breaking ceremony for the vaccine production facility will happen before Q2 of 2023.
- “This major event will happen before Q2 2023, it’s going to be a major announcement. We already have a site in Ota where the factory will be built.
He added BVNL is waiting for some of these processes to be activated, adding they are speaking with partners, funding partners, and technology partners too.
Features of the Factory: Ajah said that when the factory is inaugurated in the first quarter of 2023, it would have the capacity to meet the current demands for its water with room for improvement.
- “We will also be making significant investments in New machines for our paracetamol plant and the Pharmacentre to ensure we can meet our growing demands both for new and existing products.
- “We have made plans for significant growth in our business in 2023 over the current year, having obtained the board approval for the 2023 budget which captures the realities of an election year and the plans to mitigate its possible impact on the business.”
He added that BVNL would continue to invest in research and development to identify and introduce innovative products that would address the health challenges of Nigerians.
What you should know: Nairametrics reported earlier this year that the World Health Organisation said Nigeria’s Biovaccines Nigeria Limited (BVNL) and 14 other manufacturers in Africa will receive support from the mRNA technology transfer programme.
December 2022 – site secured for construction of factory.
June 2023 – Production to commence.
This isn’t a Nigerian government kind of project timeline. Maybe they wanted to say June 2025 for production to commence.