President Bola Tinubu has congratulated the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on retaining the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Maturity Level 3 (ML3) status for the regulation of medicines and vaccines.
The WHO conducted a re-benchmarking exercise from May 28 to May 30, 2025, assessing NAFDAC against globally recognized standards for regulatory performance.
Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy in a statement on Monday, noted that NAFDAC first attained ML3 status in 2022, becoming Africa’s first National Regulatory Authority to achieve this milestone in regulating medicines and vaccines (non-producing).
“The agency has successfully maintained a regulatory system that operates as a stable, well-functioning, and integrated framework for regulating medicines and vaccines,” it stated.
Tinubu commended NAFDAC’s management and staff for their professionalism, consistency, and dedication to safeguarding public health.
“This achievement strengthens Nigeria’s standing as a reliable partner in global health security and pandemic preparedness.”
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to enhancing Nigeria’s capacity to ensure the safety, quality, and efficacy of medicines and vaccines in line with international best practices.
The President highlighted that this milestone complements his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda to transform Nigeria’s healthcare system.
He noted that the administration has made progress in upgrading over 17,000 primary health centres nationwide, improving maternal care and diagnostics in underserved communities, training 120,000 frontline health workers, and doubling national health insurance coverage within three years.
The Nigerian leader has pledged that Nigeria will continue collaborating with credible partners, development agencies, and donor organisations to promote the pharmaceutical sector, attract investment in health-related industries, and expand local manufacturing capacity.
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