EU, Nigeria Sign €18m Agreement on Local Vaccine Production, Medical Technologies

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The European Union (EU) and Nigeria have signed a cooperation agreement on an €18 million EU support to enhance research and development capacities for implementing Nigeria’s national plan for the pharmaceutical industry and local production of vaccines and medical technologies.

The European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Ms Jutta Urpilainen, and the Permanent Secretary of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Education, Ms Didi Esther Walson-Jack, jointly signed the agreement at the EU Global Gateway High-Level Event on Education held in Brussels on Thursday.

The new collaboration underlines the EU’s strong commitment to education and health equity.

Urpilainen said: “Economic growth is dependent on an educated, skilled workforce and healthy societies, and investing in strengthening education and health systems worldwide is an integral part of the European Union’s Global Gateway strategy. Our investments in quality education, research and training seek to empower future generations by equipping them with the knowledge, skills and competencies they need in a changing world to tackle global challenges and build prosperity.”

The European funding signed on Thursday under the Team Europe Initiative on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Technologies in Africa (MAV+) will support the wider enabling environment around Nigeria’s pharmaceutical sector, notably by promoting: skills development through education and training; research and development (e.g. research in artificial intelligence and nanotechnology); the digitalisation of essential dimensions of the ecosystem; a centralised system for forecasting, procurement and distribution of quality medical products; trade, investment and customs facilitation, intellectual property rights frameworks and conditions, and an enabling environment for preferential trade and investment.

Urpilainen also signed 15 Intra-Africa Mobility Scheme projects funded by the EU with €27 million under the flagship Youth Mobility for Africa. 

The projects will provide learning mobility opportunities for students, trainees and staff across the continent to boost high-level green and digital skills.

Nigeria will benefit from six projects: CB4EE – Capacity Building for Engineering Education Practice and Research (€1.8 million of EU funding in total, with the participation of the University of Lagos-Unilag); CREATE-Green Africa – Climate Research and Education to Advancing Green Development in Africa (€1.8 million of EU funding in total, with the participation of the University of Port Harcourt); GENES II – Mobility for Plant Genomics Scholars to Accelerate Climate-Smart Adaptation Options and Food Security in Africa II (€1.8 million of EU funding in total, coordinated by the Ebonyi State University); GREEN STEM – Green, Resilient and Entrepreneurial Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics for Africa (€1.8 million of EU funding in total, with the participation of the University of Lagos-Unilag); HCE Solutions – Promoting Inclusive Homegrown Clean Energy Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in Africa (€1.8 million of EU funding in total, coordinated by the Federal University of Technology and with the participation of the University of Nigeria); ORPHAN – Mobility for High Skilled Scientists and Entrepreneurs on Orphan Crops in Higher Education for Accelerated Climate Change Solutions in Africa (€1.8 million of EU funding in total, with the participation of the Ebonyi State University).

Urpilainen also launched a key initiative of the Youth Action Plan in EU external relations, the Africa-Europe Youth Academy, which will provide opportunities for formal and informal learning and exchanges to young people looking to improve their leadership skills and create networks between Africa and Europe.

According to a statement, Nigeria can also benefit from the regional Team Europe Initiative on Opportunity-driven Skills and Vocational Education and Training in Africa, launched, which will orient country-level vocational training initiatives towards concrete employment opportunities created by Global Gateway investments.

The Team Europe Initiative on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Technologies in Africa (MAV+) works with African partners to strengthen their pharmaceutical systems and manufacturing capacity to improve access to quality, safe, effective and affordable health products. 

It offers a 360-degree approach through the supply side, the demand side, and the enabling environment, and six work streams: industrial development, supply chains and private sector; market shaping, demand and trade facilitation; regulatory strengthening; technology transfer and intellectual property management; access to finance; R&D, higher education and skills.

The statement emphasized that education is a powerful mechanism to address inequality and poverty, boosting human potential, opening doors for girls, youth and marginalised groups, and providing a springboard for human connections, debate and democratic values. 

It also creates an enabling environment for investments in digital and green transformations to succeed, and forms an integral part of the EU’s Global Gateway offer to partner countries.

The EU remains the leading investor in education worldwide. The EU institutions and member states provide more than 50% of all official development aid to education worldwide. 

The EU is committed to dedicating at least 10% of its international partnerships budget for the period 2021–2027 to education, and in the period 2021–2023, its commitments have amounted to around €3 billion, approximately 13% of the budget.