Nigeria has called for greater equity in global pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, urging the international community to ensure fair access to vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics, as well as sustainable financing for developing countries.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, made the call on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response held on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday.
Salako said Nigeria welcomed the adoption of the political declaration from the meeting, describing it as an opportunity to renew global commitment to pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
He said Nigeria’s position was that effective preparedness must be built around strong public health systems capable of preventing, detecting and controlling infectious threats before they escalate into emergencies.
“Our national position is clear: preparedness is strongest when it is built on systems that prevent, detect and control infectious threats every day,” he said.
“Prevention is preparedness, and the strength of everyday public health systems determines how effectively nations detect threats early, respond rapidly, and maintain essential services during crises.”
According to him, Nigeria has, over the past decade, strengthened its legal and institutional framework for health security through expanded nationwide digital surveillance, institutionalisation of the 7-1-7 approach, enhanced genomic sequencing capacity and improved multi-hazard preparedness.
He said the country’s public health laboratory network now covers all 36 states, while Public Health Emergency Operations Centres were supporting coordinated responses to outbreaks, including Lassa fever, cholera, diphtheria and meningitis.
Salako said Nigeria’s Joint External Evaluation score for health security had also improved from 39 per cent in 2017 to 54 per cent in 2023.
He added that the country was advancing implementation of the One Health approach, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) governance and infection prevention and control programmes across the states, while strengthening the emergency workforce at national and sub-national levels.
The Minister said the World Bank’s $250 million Health Security Programme was also supporting the development of health security capacities at federal and state levels under the One Health framework.
Looking ahead, Salako said Nigeria had identified five national priorities for strengthening pandemic preparedness.
They include strengthening national ownership, governance and legal preparedness; putting prevention at the centre of preparedness; building integrated, resilient and One Health systems; advancing equitable access, financing and African manufacturing; and deepening regional and global solidarity and accountability.
He urged the international community to place equity at the centre of pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
“Pathogen access must be matched by fair, timely and predictable benefit sharing, including vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics,” he said.
“Financing must be sustainable and rapidly accessible, especially for low and middle-income countries. Global resilience must be built on technology transfer and strengthened domestic manufacturing capacity, especially for Africa.”
Salako also called for a broader pandemic preparedness and response agenda that incorporates tuberculosis, malaria and HIV, alongside emerging infectious disease threats.
He said Nigeria considered antimicrobial resistance a critical component of global pandemic preparedness, describing AMR as both a current public health threat and a multiplier of pandemic risks.
The Minister announced that Nigeria would host the fifth Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance in December, marking the first time the conference would be held in Africa.
He said the meeting would provide an opportunity to accelerate measurable One Health action and advance the priorities of low- and middle-income countries.
Salako further stressed the importance of communities in pandemic preparedness, saying public trust and community engagement could not be developed only after an emergency had begun.
“Communities are partners in preparedness. Trust cannot be built after an emergency begins,” he said.
He called for sustained risk communication and community engagement, social listening, community hygiene and infodemic management between emergencies.
Salako reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to strengthening national and regional capacity to prevent, detect and respond to public health threats, while advocating a global health security architecture that is equitable, sustainable and accountable.
“National ownership and global solidarity must advance together,” he said.
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