Nigeria earns recognition for hypertension, typhoid, sickle cell, others

Nigeria is now recognised by global health organisations for its breakthrough in the production of drugs for hypertension, typhoid, sickle cell anemia, snake bite and other ailments using local substances, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Adeleke Mamora, disclosed in Abuja, yesterday.

The minister spoke while presenting the scorecard of the ministry of STI, showcasing the achievement of the Buhari administration in that sector of the economy from 2015 to 2022.

Although the minister did not list the global bodies that had given their stamp of approval to the drugs developed by Nigeria, he indicated that the country has made tremendous progress in its effort to produce bread from cassava, a staple in the country.

Mamora said: “These inventions have taken the centre state globally. The ones I remember very well is the sickle cell drug. Nigeria has a very large number of sicklers or carriers of sickling cells. The drug developed by Nigeria has been acknowledged globally. There is also the anti-snake venom that has also been acknowledged globally.

“There is also the typhoid vaccine that Nigeria has produced and has been globally acknowledged. We need to focus on what Nigeria has been able to do, especially in the area of healthcare because outsiders will not come to help us. Nigeria has also developed a payment platform that has been given international recognition,” he said at the briefing coordinated by the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

Mamora acknowledged the increased funding which the Buhari administration had given to the STI sector since coming into power, saying that the gesture had enabled the ministry to explore new frontiers in Nigeria’s research and development and achieve some breakthroughs that have made Nigeria to stand out.

On what the STI sector has contributed to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product in the last eight years, Mamora indicated that no fewer than 5.7 million jobs had been created by STI-induced projects and programmes, relying on figures made available by the National Bureau of Statistics.

The minister, who was flanked by his Minister of State, Chief IkechwukwuIkoh and the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Monilola Udoh, said that the jobs came from mining, manufacturing, transportation, ICT, health services and other professional activities spurred by STI.

He announced that the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, FIIRo, has been able to gradually produce bread from cassava, replacing flour use up to 10 percent level at the moment and making more inroads into achieving more in that area.