The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has retained the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Maturity Level 3 (ML3) status for the regulation of medicines and vaccines, following a re-benchmarking exercise conducted between May 28 and May 30, 2025.
According to the WHO, the evaluation confirmed that NAFDAC maintains a stable, well-functioning, and integrated regulatory framework, meeting global standards for non-producing countries. The agency first attained ML3 status in 2022, becoming the first National Regulatory Authority in Africa to reach the milestone.
The latest assessment followed a formal re-benchmarking in November 2024 and five Institutional Development Plan (IDP) review meetings between February and April 2025, aimed at tracking progress on corrective actions.
President Bola Tinubu, in a congratulatory message, commended NAFDAC’s management and staff for their professionalism, consistency, and dedication to safeguarding public health. He described the milestone as a boost to Nigeria’s global health credibility and a key step toward achieving WHO’s Maturity Level 4 — the highest regulatory standard.
The President reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ensuring the safety, quality, and efficacy of medicines and vaccines in line with global best practices, highlighting ongoing efforts to upgrade 17,000 primary health centres, improve maternal care, train 120,000 health workers, and expand national health insurance coverage.
He further pledged continued collaboration with global health partners and investors to strengthen local pharmaceutical manufacturing and promote Nigeria’s health security.
𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘀𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗧𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗔𝘀 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽!
