News Investigators/ Nigeria has commenced local production of next-generation dual-active ingredient insecticide-treated mosquito nets to strengthen malaria prevention and domestic manufacturing.
The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said this in a statement on its official X handle on Thursday night and obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
According to the statement, the facility, Health Textiles Nigeria FZE, wholly owned by Vestergaard Sàrl, is the first in Nigeria to manufacture dual-active ingredient insecticide-treated nets.
It said that the facility would produce PermaNet® Dual, a mosquito net designed to address the growing challenge of insecticide resistance and prequalified by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2023.
At full scale, the facility is expected to produce about 10 million nets annually and create more than 600 jobs, the statement said.
It said about 80 employees had already been recruited and were undergoing training in manufacturing excellence, product quality, occupational health and safety and regulatory compliance.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, said the development aligned with the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII).
Pate said the initiative focused on unlocking the healthcare value chain through investment, local production and stronger domestic capacity.
“This investment demonstrates what is possible when government policy, private-sector investment and technology transfer come together to unlock Nigeria’s healthcare value chain.
“The commencement of local production also strengthens our capacity to produce essential health products and supports a more resilient health system,” Pate added.
He commended Vestergaard for investing in local manufacturing, describing the commencement of production as an important step in malaria prevention.
The statement said that the establishment of Health Textiles Nigeria followed a 2024 Memorandum of Understanding between Vestergaard and the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC).
The agreement was aimed at strengthening local production capacity for essential health products, according to the statement.
The National Coordinator of PVAC, Dr Abdu Mukhtar, said the development demonstrated how investment, technology transfer and government policy could translate into productive capacity and skills development.
He said the training of Nigerian professionals and commencement of production represented the type of outcome the initiative sought to replicate across other healthcare value-chain segments.
Vestergaard Chief Executive Officer, Amar Ali, said the company was pleased to commence production in Nigeria and appreciated the Federal Government’s support.
He said the facility combined Vestergaard’s manufacturing expertise with Nigerian talent to produce dual-active insecticide-treated nets locally.
The development comes as Nigeria continues to bear a substantial share of the global malaria burden, the statement said.
According to the statement, WHO estimates that malaria caused 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths globally in 2024.
It said the African Region accounted for the overwhelming majority of malaria cases and deaths recorded globally during the period.
The statement said that Health Textiles Nigeria was expected to fulfil its first commercial orders in the coming months, expanding Nigeria’s capacity to produce the malaria prevention commodity locally.
Also, that domestic production must be supported by strong quality assurance, regulatory oversight and safety standards.
It said the federal government would continue supporting strategic investments, technology transfer and skills development to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare value chain.
NAN
