In a major initiative to fill a gap left by US aid cuts, Codix Bio, Nigeria’s WHO-licensed diagnostics factory, is to produce 147m rapid diagnostic test kits for HIV, malaria and tuberculosis, reports SciDev.Net.
Production began this month with 70% of the manufacturing content sourced locally, while key inputs such as “uncut sheets” and the enzymes used on them were imported, said Mary Ogangwu, chief operating officer at Codix Pharma, which runs the facility.
This marks the first time an African facility will manufacture these health tools at such scale, addressing shortages that have affected hospitals and health centres after the recent USAID funding cuts.
The tests kits require no elaborate laboratory equipment or reliable electricity, making testing accessible in remote communities and delivering quick results for better disease management.
Although Africa bears the world’s highest burden of HIV, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases, thus creating substantial demand for diagnostic testing, for decades, the continent has relied entirely on imported test kits, leaving health systems at the mercy of global supply chains, economic downturns, and donor whims.
Ogangwu said the company was aiming to source all components domestically within the next five years.
“Made-in-Africa rapid diagnostic test kits can be trusted – and they are available and affordable,” she said.
“We have put everything in place, rigorous training, ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) certification to ensure that we produce the highest quality. And we can confidently say Nigeria has the capacity to deliver on quality.”
She added that the company has a technology transfer partner who will be on the team for several months to help build capacity in the country.
“We have a plan to scale to 90% local content by 2027, and then with the local manufacture of the enzymes, we will achieve 100% by 2030.”
The company was selected as a manufacturing partner under the WHO Health Technology Access Pool programme in May, becoming the first African partner in the programme, which aims to ensure equitable access to health products.
The development comes amid growing health funding challenges for African governments. Nigeria’s health allocation represents around 5% of its federal budget, well below the 15% target pledged in the Abuja Declaration, a landmark funding commitment by African nations.
Before the aid cuts, USAID distributed 11.8m rapid diagnostic test kits for malaria across Nigeria in 2023 and invested more than US$6bn in the country’s HIV/Aids response.
Oyewale Tomori, a virologist and chairman of the West Africa Network of the National Academies of Scientists, said African nations must abandon their dependency mindset.
“Nigeria should stop accepting the tag of resource-limited nation. We should wake up from that dream of dependency and use our resources judiciously,” he told SciDev.Net.
A 2025 global health expenditure study reveals that most low-income African countries invest minimally in healthcare, relying heavily on foreign assistance and out-of-pocket spending by citizens.
However, signs of progress are emerging. Last year, Senegal’s Institut Pasteur opened the new diaTROPIX manufacturing site, under an accelerator programme to produce 75m Covid-19 test kits and diagnostics for neglected tropical diseases.
For regional manufacturing to succeed, Ogangwu said that governments must commit to procuring test kits at scale.
“Government needs to buy at least 60% in procurement volumes so the kits can be available in public hospitals and communities who need them the most,” she said.
She highlighted the case of Algeria, where the government banned imports of 350 pharmaceutical products, supporting local manufacturer Neomedic Diagnostic to become Africa’s first producer of blood glucose test strips.
“This is the kind of commitment and support we need from African governments,” she said.
“We also need the barriers to trading among African countries to be removed.”
With Codix Pharma establishing offices across nine African countries, the vision extends beyond national borders towards true regional manufacturing.
This approach, Ogangwu says, could address supply shortages, reduce costs, and build pandemic preparedness capabilities across the continent.
SciDev.Net article – Nigeria to produce 147mn test kits for HIV, TB, malaria (Open access)
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Africa braces for spike in mosquito-borne diseases after US cuts
Morocco produces Africa’s first mpox tests