The Federal Government has described the commencement of local production of dual-active ingredient mosquito nets as a major boost to Nigeria’s efforts to tackle the growing threat of insecticide resistance in malaria control.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, said the production of next-generation insecticide-treated nets would strengthen the country’s malaria prevention strategy while reducing dependence on imported health commodities.
Pate made this known following the commencement of operations by Health Textiles Nigeria FZE, a new manufacturing facility established by Vestergaard Sàrl to produce advanced insecticide-treated mosquito nets in Nigeria.
According to the Minister, the development represents an important milestone for Nigeria’s health system and its fight against malaria, particularly as the country works to build domestic capacity for the production of essential health commodities.
“The commencement of local production of next-generation insecticide-treated nets is an important milestone for Nigeria’s health system and our fight against malaria,” Pate said.
He said the initiative aligned with the Federal Government’s broader health-security agenda by combining international expertise with Nigerian talent and local manufacturing capacity.
Pate added that the partnership would help build a more resilient healthcare value chain and strengthen Nigeria’s potential to emerge as a manufacturing hub for essential health products in Africa.
The National Coordinator of the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), Dr Abdu Mukhtar, said the development demonstrated how investment, technology transfer and supportive government policies could translate into actual manufacturing capacity.
Mukhtar said the partnership was designed not only to attract investment but also to develop Nigerian skills and capabilities that could be replicated across other areas of the healthcare value chain.
The Chief Executive Officer of Vestergaard, Amar Ali, also commended the Federal Government for supporting the initiative, saying the facility represented a new chapter in malaria-prevention manufacturing in Africa.
The facility will manufacture PermaNet® Dual, a dual-active ingredient insecticide-treated mosquito net developed to address the increasing challenge of insecticide resistance. The product was prequalified by the World Health Organisation in 2023.
Health Textiles Nigeria FZE is wholly owned by Vestergaard Sàrl and is the first facility in Nigeria to manufacture dual-active ingredient insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
At full production capacity, the facility is expected to manufacture approximately 10 million mosquito nets annually and create more than 600 jobs.
About 80 employees have already been recruited, with workers undergoing training in manufacturing excellence, product quality, occupational health and safety, and regulatory compliance.
The development is considered significant for Nigeria, which continues to bear a substantial share of the global malaria burden. WHO estimates show that malaria caused approximately 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths worldwide in 2024, with the African Region accounting for the overwhelming majority of cases and deaths.
Nigeria alone accounts for about a quarter of global malaria cases.
The local production of advanced mosquito nets is therefore expected to improve the country’s capacity to respond to malaria while strengthening the domestic supply of critical prevention commodities.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said the government would continue to encourage investments and partnerships that promote local production, technology transfer and skills development.
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It, however, stressed that locally manufactured health products must maintain stringent quality, safety and regulatory standards and meet internationally recognised requirements.
The initiative followed a 2024 Memorandum of Understanding between Vestergaard and PVAC aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s capacity to produce essential health products locally.
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