On Wednesday, May 7, a big announcement was made in Lagos: a syringe made right here in Nigeria has earned a major thumbs-up from the World Health Organisation (WHO)!
The 0.5ml Auto Disable Syringe, made by Afrimedical Manufacturing and Supplies Ltd in Ogun State, is now officially prequalified by the WHO—and that’s a really big deal. This means it’s safe, high-quality, and good enough to be used all around the world!
The head of Nigeria’s food and drug agency, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, said this exciting news at a press event. “It is with great joy that I announce that, after a rigorous process, the WHO has prequalified Afrimedical’s 0.5ml AD Syringes,” she said. “They are now eligible for national and international procurement by relevant agencies and organisations.”
This makes Afrimedical the first company in all of West and Central Africa to get this kind of international recognition for syringes. Professor Adeyeye said this success happened because of hard work, smart investment, and support from NAFDAC.
She also said this matches the goal of the Nigerian government to make more medical products here at home. “This milestone aligns with the agenda of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration to promote local production of medical products,” she added.
Even better, Afrimedical is now officially operating at the international standard for safe and clean manufacturing, known as Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).
But there’s still more work to do. In 2023, only three out of seven syringe makers in Nigeria were up and running—and even then, they used less than 20% of the machines they had to produce syringes. That means we’re not making nearly as many as we could.
To fix that, NAFDAC started a special “5+5” policy back in 2019. It says that if a product—like a syringe—can be made in Nigeria, companies will only be allowed to import it for five more years. After that, they have to buy locally.
NAFDAC is also working with big global groups like UNICEF to encourage them to buy from Nigerian manufacturers now that the country has reached WHO Maturity Level 3, a mark of strong health product regulation.
At the event, Gabi Al-Aridi, who helps run Afrimedical, said this was a proud moment for the company and Nigeria. He shared that Afrimedical now makes about 1.8 billion syringes every year—right here in Nigeria!
He thanked the government for its support and said the company is staying focused on high-quality products. He also encouraged everyone in Nigeria to trust and support things that are made locally. It helps save money, grow jobs, and make the country stronger.
