International development organisations have called for stronger government commitment, catalytic procurement policies and predictable market demand to accelerate Nigeria’s local diagnostics manufacturing industry.

The call was made during a high-level visit by executives from Roll Back Malaria, UNITAID, PATH and Solina to Codix Bio, one of Nigeria’s leading manufacturers of rapid diagnostic tests.

Speaking during the visit, Roll Back Malaria CEO, Dr. Michael Adekunle Charles, said Nigeria possesses the manufacturing ambition required to become a continental leader but requires stronger ecosystem support similar to countries such as Uganda.

“In Uganda, diagnostic manufacturers receive full government backing. That changes everything. They manufacture not only for their own country but for more than 20 others. The question is how we position Codix Bio similarly and attract regional demand,” Charles said.

He emphasised that pooled procurement and long-term volume guarantees could significantly improve factory utilisation while strengthening Africa’s health security.

UNITAID’s Director of Strategy, Janet Grinard, echoed similar sentiments, noting that regional manufacturing is central to improving healthcare resilience.

“Nigeria is strategically important as a manufacturing hub. Our work focuses on creating stronger, more predictable markets that enable manufacturers to invest confidently while improving access to quality health products,” Grinard said.

She acknowledged industry challenges, including fragmented procurement, inconsistent demand and financing constraints, describing these as areas where international partnerships can help create sustainable market solutions.

Responding, Codix Group CEO, Sammy Ogunjimi, highlighted several milestones achieved despite operating in a difficult business environment.

He revealed that Codix is now in 12 African countries and exports to some of them. He said the Global Fund-supported procurement has also enabled locally packaged HIV diagnostics to be supplied both within Nigeria, Ghana and to Sierra Leone.

However, he stressed that manufacturers continue facing structural disadvantages.

“Local manufacturers compete against imported products produced under significantly lower financing and infrastructure costs,” Ogunjimi said.

He explained that high borrowing costs, imported raw materials, infrastructure deficits and evolving regulatory requirements continue increasing production costs despite manufacturers meeting international quality standards.

Ogunjimi, therefore, advocated ring-fenced government procurement quotas for locally manufactured diagnostics, arguing that consistent local demand would accelerate industrial growth while strengthening national health security.

Delegates agreed that stronger collaboration between governments, development partners and manufacturers will be essential to building resilient healthcare supply chains capable of responding to future public health emergencies.