President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for retaining the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Maturity Level 3 (ML3) status for the regulation of medicines and vaccines.
The commendation follows a WHO re-benchmarking exercise conducted from May 28 to 30, 2025, which assessed NAFDAC’s performance against global regulatory standards. NAFDAC first achieved ML3 status in 2022, becoming Africa’s first non-producing National Regulatory Authority to reach this milestone.
Periodic reviews are mandated under WHO policy, and the latest assessment came after a formal re-benchmarking in November 2024 and five Institutional Development Plan review meetings between February and April 2025.
The WHO report affirmed that “NAFDAC has successfully maintained a regulatory system that operates as a stable, well-functioning, and integrated framework for regulating medicines and vaccines.” The organisation credited the achievement to sustained investment by the Nigerian government in strengthening its regulatory system.
President Tinubu praised NAFDAC’s management and staff for their professionalism and dedication to public health, noting that the milestone reinforces Nigeria’s reputation as a reliable partner in global health security and pandemic preparedness.
Reaffirming his administration’s commitment to international best practices, the President highlighted ongoing efforts under the Renewed Hope Agenda, including:
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Upgrading over 17,000 primary healthcare centres nationwide
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Expanding maternal care and diagnostics in underserved communities
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Training 120,000 frontline health workers
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Doubling national health insurance coverage within three years
He also emphasised plans to promote local production of healthcare products, attract investment in the pharmaceutical sector, and expand domestic manufacturing capacity.
President Tinubu pledged continued support for NAFDAC as it works towards achieving WHO’s Maturity Level 4 — the highest global standard of regulatory excellence.
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