New facility to produce 10 million dual-active nets annually, create over 600 jobs — Pate
Nigeria has commenced the local production of next-generation dual-active ingredient insecticide-treated mosquito nets, in a development the Federal Government says will strengthen malaria prevention and boost domestic manufacturing of essential health products.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, said the development was in line with the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative and its focus on unlocking the healthcare value chain through investment, local production and enhanced domestic capacity.
The new manufacturing facility, Health Textiles Nigeria FZE, wholly owned by Vestergaard Sàrl, is the first facility in Nigeria to manufacture dual-active ingredient insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
The facility will produce PermaNet® Dual, a next-generation mosquito net developed by Vestergaard to address the growing challenge of insecticide resistance. The product was prequalified by the World Health Organisation in 2023.
At full production capacity, the facility is expected to manufacture approximately 10 million mosquito nets annually and create more than 600 jobs.
Already, about 80 Nigerians have been recruited and are undergoing training in manufacturing excellence, product quality, occupational health and safety, as well as regulatory compliance.
Speaking on the development, Pate described the investment as a major milestone in Nigeria’s fight against malaria and efforts to strengthen the country’s capacity to manufacture essential health commodities locally.
“This investment demonstrates what is possible when government policy, private-sector investment and technology transfer come together to unlock Nigeria’s healthcare value chain.”
The minister added that the commencement of local production would enhance Nigeria’s ability to manufacture critical health products while contributing to the development of a more resilient healthcare system.
“The commencement of local production also strengthens our capacity to produce essential health products and supports a more resilient health system,” Pate said.
The establishment of Health Textiles Nigeria followed a 2024 Memorandum of Understanding between Vestergaard and the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain, aimed at strengthening local production capacity for essential health products.
The National Coordinator of the Presidential Initiative, Dr Abdu Mukhtar, said the investment demonstrated how deliberate government policies, technology transfer and private-sector investment could translate into productive capacity and skills development in Nigeria.
Mukhtar said the training of Nigerian professionals and commencement of local manufacturing represented the type of outcome the initiative was designed to replicate across other segments of the healthcare value chain.
He noted that the project would not only increase local production but also contribute to the development of technical expertise among Nigerian workers in the healthcare manufacturing sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of Vestergaard, Amar Ali, expressed the company’s satisfaction with the commencement of manufacturing operations in Nigeria and thanked the Federal Government for its support.
Ali said the new facility would combine Vestergaard’s manufacturing expertise with Nigerian talent to produce dual-active ingredient insecticide-treated mosquito nets locally.
The development comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s significant contribution to the global malaria burden, with malaria continuing to pose a major public health challenge across the country and the African continent.
The World Health Organisation estimated that malaria caused 282 million cases and 610,000 deaths globally in 2024, with the African Region accounting for the overwhelming majority of the reported cases and deaths.
The introduction of locally manufactured dual-active insecticide-treated nets is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s malaria prevention efforts, particularly in the face of growing insecticide resistance.
With production now underway, Health Textiles Nigeria is expected to fulfil its first commercial orders in the coming months, further expanding the country’s capacity to produce a critical malaria prevention commodity domestically.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, however, stressed that increased local production must be matched by stringent quality assurance, regulatory oversight and adherence to safety standards.
The ministry said the Federal Government would continue to support strategic investments, technology transfer and skills development aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare value chain.
According to the ministry, such investments are consistent with the Renewed Hope Health Agenda and the government’s broader efforts to reduce dependence on imported health commodities while building a stronger and more sustainable domestic healthcare manufacturing sector.
The commencement of mosquito net production therefore represents a convergence of malaria prevention, local manufacturing, technology transfer, job creation and healthcare value-chain development, with the government and private sector expected to deepen collaboration to expand domestic production of essential health commodities.
