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Univercells, a Belgian global life sciences company, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Federal Government of Nigeria focusing on building a thriving biopharmaceutical ecosystem in the West African country to upskill its workforce and increase local manufacturing.

Univercells, on Monday, hosted Nigeria’s Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate, and Coordinator of the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), Dr. Muhktar Abdu. Also present on the occasion were Quantoom Biosciences’ CEO and CTO of Univercells, José Castillo, and Unizima’s CEO, Hala Audi. Together, all parties said they were pleased to announce a new partnership with the Federal Government of Nigeria.
 
According to a statement by Univercells, this collaboration focuses on the adoption of biotechnology in Nigeria and aims to facilitate cooperation in establishing the necessary infrastructure for local research, development, and manufacturing of medicines that are vital for both human and animal public health. The goal is to save more lives and provide affordable healthcare for local populations.

The statement said the collaboration will support access to funding in order to unlock the Nigerian health value chain.
 
The objectives of PVAC, and initiative of the President Bola Tinubu administration, include the restructuring of the nation’s health product manufacturing ecosystem to enhance domestic production of life-saving medicines, vaccines, and biologics. In pursuit of this goal, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMOHSW) is engaging with a diverse range of companies, both domestically and internationally, to foster the development of new biotech capabilities in Nigeria.

“Univercells is thrilled about this new collaboration with the Nigerian authorities that will help the country to develop and produce their own vaccines and biotherapeutics and leading to a more resilient health system,” said Hugues Bultot, CEO of Univercells Group. “We are proud that Univercells, together with our African partners, can kickstart this exciting collaboration, which will bring us closer to our mission, bringing health for all.”
 
Dr. Ali Pate added: “We are delighted to initiate a collaboration with the Univercells Group as we share a common mission and values. This new collaboration is an important step towards Nigeria’s goal to increase domestic production of vaccines and biologics through the establishment of local biotech capabilities and the creation of jobs in the health and pharma sectors, which are vital for the health and well-being of the Nigerian population.”