Tinubu Hails NAFDAC’s Global Recognition
President Bola Tinubu has congratulated the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for successfully retaining the World Health Organisation’s Maturity Level 3 (ML3) status for the regulation of medicines and vaccines.
This milestone reaffirms Nigeria’s credibility in global health regulation and strengthens the country’s role in pandemic preparedness.
WHO’s Re-Benchmarking Confirms Nigeria’s Compliance
The WHO re-benchmarking exercise, conducted between May 28 and May 30, 2025, assessed NAFDAC’s regulatory performance against international standards.
NAFDAC first attained the ML3 status in 2022, becoming the first National Regulatory Authority in Africa to achieve the milestone for non-producing countries in medicine and vaccine regulation.
The latest evaluation followed:
A formal re-benchmarking in November 2024
Five Institutional Development Plan review meetings between February and April 2025
Continuous corrective action monitoring by WHO experts
According to WHO, NAFDAC has “maintained a stable, well-functioning, and integrated regulatory framework for medicines and vaccines.”
Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in Healthcare
President Tinubu praised NAFDAC’s management and staff for their professionalism, consistency, and dedication to public health.
He noted that this achievement aligns with his Renewed Hope Agenda, which includes:
Upgrading over 17,000 primary health centres nationwide
Improving maternal care and diagnostics in underserved communities
Training 120,000 frontline health workers
Doubling national health insurance coverage within three years
The President also stressed that promoting local pharmaceutical production remains a priority for his administration.
Path to WHO Maturity Level 4
Tinubu pledged continued support for NAFDAC in its journey towards WHO Maturity Level 4, the highest standard in regulatory excellence.
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to collaborating with global partners, development agencies, and the private sector to expand local manufacturing and attract investments in the healthcare sector.
