Daniel Adaji
The Federal Government has unveiled plans to open up the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) to structured private sector investment as part of sweeping reforms aimed at boosting local vaccine production and strengthening Nigeria’s livestock economy.
The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, disclosed this during the three-day NVRI Top Management Retreat held from March 3 to 5, 2026, where the institute’s leadership reviewed its performance, operational gaps and reform strategies.
Maiha said that despite over 100 years of existence, NVRI currently meets less than 40 per cent of Nigeria’s animal vaccine demand, forcing the country to spend about $1.5 billion annually on vaccine imports. He described the situation as unsustainable and charged the institute to align its operations with national economic priorities.
According to him, opening NVRI to private investment and strategic partnerships is critical to achieving commercial viability, expanding production capacity and reducing Nigeria’s vaccine import bill by at least $500 million by 2030.
The minister added that strengthening domestic vaccine production is central to tackling transboundary and endemic animal diseases that continue to limit Nigeria’s access to regional and international red meat markets. He noted that the country’s beef industry holds an estimated export potential of $3.2 billion if disease control, surveillance and diagnostic systems are improved.
Also speaking, the Chief Veterinary Officer of Nigeria, Samuel Anzaku, described NVRI as a strategic national institution whose laboratory outputs support early warning systems, outbreak response, international reporting and policy formulation.
The Acting Executive Director of NVRI, Nicholas Nwankpa, said the retreat was convened to critically assess the institute’s current capacity and develop innovative strategies in line with the vision of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development.
The retreat, themed “Strengthening Our Mandate through Enhanced Stewardship, Transformational Leadership and Strategic Institutional Capacity Training,” is expected to produce actionable reforms aimed at transforming NVRI into a globally competitive veterinary research and vaccine production institution.
