By Doris Obinna, Lagos
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced that Afrimedical Manufacturing and Supplies Limited’s 0.5ml auto-disable syringes received World Health Organisation (WHO) prequalification, marking the first such achievement for a medical device manufacturer in West and Central Africa.
NAFDAC Director-General Professor Mojisola Adeyeye disclosed this at a Lagos press briefing, calling it a milestone for Nigeria’s healthcare industry.
Adeyeye said, “It is with great joy that I announce that, after a rigorous process, the WHO has prequalified Afrimedical’s 0.5ml AD syringes.”
She attributed the success to NAFDAC’s rigorous oversight and Afrimedical’s investment, aligning with President Bola Tinubu’s push for local medical production. The 2019 “5+5” directive, limiting imported product renewals to five years, aims to boost domestic manufacturing.
Despite this, only three of seven local syringe manufacturers remained operational by 2023, at under 20% of their 2.5 billion annual capacity, due to competition from substandard imports. NAFDAC’s 2023 evaluation found local syringes matched or exceeded import quality, enabling Afrimedical’s Afriject syringes to meet WHO standards, qualifying them for procurement by global agencies like UNICEF.
Afrimedical’s General Manager, Gabi Al-Aridi, expressed pride, stating, “Afrimedical doesn’t just provide medical devices; it pioneers cutting-edge solutions that redefine the standards of healthcare.”