News Investigators/ The Federal Government has concluded strategic engagements in China, resulting in a major discounted diagnostics deal and renewed investor interest in Nigeria’s pharmaceutical and medical manufacturing sectors.
The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja via its official X page, @Fmohnigeria.
According to the statement, these developments indicate that Nigeria’s health sector reform agenda is beginning to yield tangible global gains.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, secured the commitments during a working visit to PlusLife Diagnostics’ corporate headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Guangzhou, China.
“The Minister secured a commitment for heavily discounted mass procurement of Point-of-Care (POC) diagnostic equipment for tuberculosis and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) through the United Nations StopTB Global Drug Facility.
“This agreement directly supports the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), which aims to expand access to affordable diagnostics, eliminate catastrophic out-of-pocket spending, and unlock the healthcare value chain for long-term sustainability.
“In a significant boost to industrialisation, PlusLife also committed to establishing local manufacturing operations in Nigeria between 2026 and 2028, reinforcing the growing investor confidence driven by the President’s reform policies under the Renewed Hope Agenda.”
Pate described the agreements as a transformational step toward decentralising diagnostics and expanding access to quality testing through the nation’s primary healthcare system.
“With the significant cost advantage of PlusLife technology, we can stretch resources further to test more Nigerians and save more lives,” he said.
He also highlighted that the investment momentum was being directly catalysed by President Bola Tinubu’s Executive Order removing all taxes and import duties on pharmaceutical raw materials, diagnostic equipment, vaccine production inputs, and related healthcare manufacturing lines.
“This Executive Order is not theoretical, it is already working.
“Global partners are responding because Nigeria has now become a viable market where innovation, manufacturing, and value chain growth can thrive,” Pate added.
The statement further noted that the minister spoke at the Sino-Africa Healthcare Cooperation Forum 2025 in Beijing, organised by the Embassy of Nigeria in collaboration with CEIBS, AFKMED, and VCBeat.
At the forum, he reaffirmed that macroeconomic and health sector reforms were aligning health development with industrial policy, creating new manufacturing opportunities, improving sector efficiency, and promoting sustainable economic expansion.
Pate concluded that, through strategic diplomacy and reform-backed policy execution, Nigeria was positioning itself as Africa’s emerging hub for diagnostic innovation, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and health technology scale-up.
He said those efforts were strengthening national preparedness, expanding access to lifesaving care, and driving the health sector as a key engine of economic growth.
NAN