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Tuesday, July
21, 2020 / 02:17 PM / by CBN / Header Image Credit: The Guardian Nigeria
The
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, on Monday,
July 20, 2020, in Abuja, inaugurated the Body of Experts (BoE) for the
Healthcare Sector Research and Development Intervention Scheme (HSRDIS)
established by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The
Board of Experts chaired by the Director-General, National Agency for Food and
Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, is expected
to address challenges that limit Research and Development investment in the
healthcare sector.
Performing
the inauguration, Mr. Mustapha noted that the current
corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic had uncovered the gaps in the country's
health, governance, security infrastructure.
While commending the efforts of the CBN at addressing the flaws in the
public health system through its landmark intervention, the SGF stressed that
adding that the pandemic represented Nigeria with a fresh opportunity to
reposition its health system and redress all the deficiencies in the sector as
well as other infrastructure.
Mr. Mustapha expressed confidence in the composition of the body to
deliver on the onerous task, stressing that the CBN intervention would set
Nigeria's healthcare system on the path of recovery.
In
his remarks, the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, said the
Body of Experts (BOE) was established to review and evaluate submitted research
proposals and provide recommendations for financing the identified R&D
proposals.
Mr.
Emefiele disclosed that 20 projects valued at N26.278 Billion had been funded
under the N100billion credit support intervention for the healthcare
industry, adding that the CBN HSRDIS was designed to increase Nigeria's
research and development activities to support the development of validated
Nigeria-made vaccines, drugs and herbal medicines.
He
further disclosed that the CBN would provide grants to biotechnological and
pharmaceutical companies, institutions, researchers, and research institutes,
to boost domestic capacity to curb the spread of COVID-19 and other
communicable or non-communicable diseases.
Stressing
the need to support capacity of relevant health agencies towards attaining
World Health Organisation (WHO) Maturity Level 3 prerequisite for manufacturing
of vaccines in Nigeria, Mr. Emefiele said the Bank would facilitate partnership
between academia (researchers, research institutes and universities) and
industry to research and develop drugs, phytomedicines and vaccines for the
control, prevention and treatment of infectious diseases in Nigeria
Emefiele
said a major objective for the Bank was also to reduce dependence on imported
drug products (synthetic and herbal) and vaccines for the control, prevention
and treatment of infectious diseases in Nigeria.
"Attention
will be paid to research projects with high potential to contribute to the
development of the Nigerian vaccines that will help curb the spread infectious
diseases.
"All
submissions will be subjected to strict scientific and empirical scrutiny
considered to be best in class," Emefiele added.
In her response the Chairperson of the Body of Experts and DG, NAFDAC,
Prof. Adeyeye assured that the body "will diligently seek the truth by
ascertaining how the hypothesis driven questions raised in the proposals will
be answered."
She noted that the success of the exercise will increase access to
medical products which could impact positively the health of our population,
create jobs and expand trade whilst reducing the over dependence on importation
and further encourage local production.
Other members of the body of experts are Prof. Babatunde Lawal,
Professor Richard A. Adegbola, Prof. Alex Akpa, Professor Isa Marte Hussaini,
Prof. Abdulhamid Ahmed, Dr. Chinwe Lucia Ochu and Dr. Philip Fafowora Builders.
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