President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has lauded the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for retaining the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Maturity Level 3 (ML3) rating in the regulation of medicines and vaccines, describing the feat as a significant endorsement of Nigeria’s health sector reforms.
The WHO confirmed the agency’s status following a re-benchmarking exercise conducted from 28 to 30 May 2025, which evaluated NAFDAC’s performance against globally recognised regulatory standards. The latest assessment came after a formal re-benchmarking in November 2024 and five Institutional Development Plan (IDP) review meetings between February and April 2025 to track corrective measures.
NAFDAC first achieved ML3 in 2022, becoming the first national regulatory authority in Africa to secure the ranking for the regulation of medicines and vaccines in non-producing countries. The WHO maintained in its verdict that “NAFDAC has successfully maintained a regulatory system that operates as a stable, well-functioning, and integrated framework for regulating medicines and vaccines (non-producing). This achievement results from investment by the Government of Nigeria in strengthening the regulatory system.”
In a statement issued on Monday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President said the milestone “is a boost to Nigeria’s credibility in global health security and pandemic preparedness.”
Reaffirming his administration’s health priorities, Tinubu pledged to “continue to enhance Nigeria’s capacity to ensure the safety, quality, and efficacy of medicines and vaccines in line with international best practices. This milestone complements our Renewed Hope Agenda to transform the healthcare system.”
The President further highlighted ongoing initiatives, including the upgrading of more than 17,000 primary healthcare centres nationwide, improved maternal care and diagnostics in underserved communities, the training of 120,000 frontline health workers, and plans to double national health insurance coverage within three years.
He added that the Federal Government will “continue collaborating with credible partners, development agencies, and donor organisations to promote the pharmaceutical sector, attract investment in health-related industries, and expand local manufacturing capacity.”
Tinubu assured that his administration would support NAFDAC’s drive towards attaining WHO’s Maturity Level 4, the highest attainable standard for global regulatory systems.
The achievement has been hailed by health policy experts as a reinforcement of Nigeria’s commitment to international health regulations and a step forward in positioning the country as a trusted player in global medicine and vaccine regulation.
