China’s chief targets Nigeria as Africa’s next vaccine hub

George Gao, China’s former top disease control official, is positioning Nigeria as a potential hub for vaccine development in Africa, as Beijing deepens its scientific and health ties with the continent’s largest economy.

Gao led a delegation of senior scientists to the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) in Lagos, opening talks that could reshape how Nigeria develops vaccines and responds to future outbreaks.

The visit, which brought together experts from the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Peking University, focused on joint research, vaccine production, and technology transfer, areas where Nigeria has long depended on foreign partners.

“We are here looking for future collaborations in Nigeria,” Gao said, pointing to growing health risks from emerging diseases and the need for cross-border cooperation.

The engagement highlights a broader shift. Africa, which imports most of its vaccines, is increasingly being targeted as a production base rather than just a recipient of global health aid.

Nigeria, with its large population and disease burden, is central to that strategy. But the country still lacks full-scale vaccine manufacturing capacity.

At NIMR, John Oladapo Obafunwa, director-general, said the partnership could help Nigeria move from research to production.

“We have facilities we can start with, but we are still in the middle of developing full vaccine production capacity. With the right collaboration, we can move from potential to impact,” he said.

A key highlight of the visit was new research on Mpox vaccines presented by Han Wang, who outlined efforts to develop cheaper and safer vaccines tailored for Africa.

Current vaccines can cost more than $60 per dose, far beyond what many African countries can afford.

Wang’s team is working on a next-generation vaccine using a chimeric immunogen approach, designed to improve immune response while lowering production costs. Early findings show stronger immunity and better safety, she said.

The research is being developed with industry partners including Shanghai Junshi Biosciences, signaling a push to link academic science with commercial production.

For Nigeria, the talks go beyond vaccines. They also address a long-standing weakness: reliance on foreign laboratories for advanced research such as genome sequencing.

Obafunwa said Nigeria must look inward and build its own capacity, especially in genomics and molecular biology.

Despite progress, infrastructure gaps remain. Plans for a centralized national research lab are still stalled due to funding shortages, forcing scientists to work across fragmented facilities.

That constraint has slowed Nigeria’s ability to respond quickly to outbreaks and develop homegrown solutions.

The discussions also reflect a subtle shift in how Nigeria wants to engage global partners.

Obafunwa noted that many international research grants focus on priorities set outside Africa, which may not align with local health challenges.

He affirmed that the China partnership offers a chance to rebalance that approach toward diseases more common in Nigeria and the region.

The collaboration could cover clinical trials, genomic sequencing, and rapid outbreak response, areas that became critical during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The visit comes as China expands its influence in global health, using scientific collaboration as part of a broader diplomatic strategy.

For Nigeria, the potential benefits are clear: access to technology, funding, and expertise that could accelerate its ambition to become a regional health innovation hub. But success will depend on whether the discussions translate into concrete investments, including manufacturing facilities and sustained training for local scientists.

If realized, the partnership could reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported vaccines and position the country as a key player in Africa’s pandemic preparedness.

For now, both sides say they are optimistic. “This is just the beginning,” Gao said.

Royal Ibeh

Royal Ibeh is a senior journalist with years of experience reporting on Nigeria’s technology and health sectors. She currently covers the Technology and Health beats for BusinessDay newspaper, where she writes in-depth stories on digital innovation, telecom infrastructure, healthcare systems, and public health policies.