The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) has called on the private sector to partner with it to commercialize the production of diagnostic kits for infectious diseases.
Professor John Obafunwa, Director-General of NIMR, made the appeal during the institute’s inaugural media briefing, where he highlighted the importance of local production of diagnostic kits in reducing Nigeria’s dependence on foreign imports.
According to Obafunwa, NIMR has successfully developed diagnostic kits for COVID-19, Hepatitis B and C, HIV, and Monkeypox, but needs private sector support to take the kits to the market.
“We have done the research, we have developed the kits, but we need the private sector to come in and help us commercialize them,” Obafunwa said.
He noted that the partnership would not only reduce the country’s dependence on foreign imports but also save the nation’s foreign exchange and promote local research and development.
Obafunwa also highlighted the challenges facing NIMR, including poor funding and power supply issues, which he said were impacting the institute’s research activities.
He appealed to the government and private sector to increase funding for research and development, saying that 95% of NIMR’s research works were funded by foreign donors.
The NIMR boss also announced plans to resuscitate the institute’s outstations in some parts of the country to broaden its research activities.
With the private sector partnership, NIMR hopes to overcome its challenges and achieve its vision of promoting national health and development through research and innovation.
