On 30 October 2025, the EU Delegation, in partnership with Nigeria’s Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC) and the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), hosted the first-ever EU-Nigeria Health Investment Forum at the International Conference Centre in Abuja. Themed “Made in Nigeria. Made for Health,” the Forum aimed to promote industrialization and sustainable investment in Nigeria’s healthcare sector, addressing longstanding capacity challenges that hinder effective healthcare delivery. The event convened government officials, industry leaders, development partners, and financiers to discuss strategies for strengthening local manufacturing and the broader health value chain.
Organized under the framework of the Global Gateway Initiative, the Forum sought to enhance local production, bolster regulatory systems, and mobilize financing across Nigeria’s pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. Ambassador Gautier Mignot described the event as a defining moment for EU-Nigeria strategic partnership, a sentiment shared by Dr. Abdu Mukhtar, National Coordinator of PVAC. The Forum highlighted three key agreements with transformative potential for Nigeria’s healthcare manufacturing: 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.
These agreements align with the EU Global Gateway’s Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Technologies (MAV+) and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) initiatives. Speaking at the Forum, Vice President Kashim Shettima, represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Health, Uju Rochas, emphasized that the agreements reinforce Nigeria’s commitment to building a sustainable, inclusive, and innovation-driven health economy. Ambassador Mignot underscored the EU’s ongoing support for Nigeria and ECOWAS, highlighting the partnership’s focus on improving access to healthcare, immunization, medical research, and family planning.
Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Abubakar Bagudu, noted that the agreements come at a crucial time as Nigeria implements reforms to strengthen partnerships and expand investments, aiming to make healthcare more accessible and affordable. The EU’s continued support through Global Gateway initiatives includes ongoing projects worth €45 million in Nigeria and nearly €25 million across West Africa, particularly in reproductive, maternal, and child health. Forum participants emphasized that these agreements mark the beginning of a new collaborative phase focused on shared prosperity, technology transfer, and local innovation to strengthen Nigeria’s health sector.
