Nigeria’s biggest drugmaker, Fidson Healthcare Plc, has signed a strategic cooperation memorandum with three Chinese firms – Jiangsu Aidea Pharma, Nanjing PharmaBlock, and the China-Africa Development Fund to establish a state-of-the-art pharmaceutical plant in Lagos.
The plant, to be located in the Lekki Free Trade Zone, aims to boost Africa’s self-reliance in healthcare delivery, particularly in tackling HIV, the drug manufacturer said in a statement obtained from its website on Friday.
Fidson said the partnership between Fidson and the Chinese firms is a sterling example of international cooperation aimed at tackling pressing medical challenges.
According to the firm, the agreement was formalised during a visit to China by a Nigerian delegation led by Fidson’s Founder and Managing Director, Dr Fidelis Ayebae.
This follows a previous visit by Chairman of Jiangsu Aidea Pharma, Dr Heliang Fu, to Nigeria earlier in the year, where he toured the Lekki Free Trade Zone, the designated site for the facility.
In the words of Dr Fu, “This collaboration marks an important step for Chinese pharmaceutical players in their commitment to global medical cooperation. By integrating our expertise and experience in the field of innovative drugs, we are confident in bringing greater well-being to African patients.”
Ayebae expressed his optimism about the partnership, saying, “We eagerly look forward to this collaboration and believe that the complementary strengths of all parties will inject new vitality into the Healthcare delivery sector in Africa, particularly addressing the medical needs of over 1.9 million HIV-infected individuals in Nigeria, a focus of Aidea Pharma.”
