PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

USG and Nigeria Commissions State-of- the-Art Laboratory for Drug Research

Date: February 21, 2008
Venue: Abuja

Ambassador Robin Sanders join Minister of State for Health Gabriel Yakubu Aduku to commission the NIPRD/NIH Laboratory, in Idu, Abuja  | Full size

Ambassador Robin R. Sanders and Honorable Minister of State for Health, Arch. Gabriel Aduku commissioned a world-class laboratory for tuberculosis (TB) drug research and treatment on February 21, 2008.  Funded by the U.S. Government, the facility is another strategic asset in the ongoing health care resource development partnership between the United States and Nigeria.
 
Said Ambassador Sanders: “the ribbon cutting ceremony is a significant milestone not only for this project, but also for all humanity because tuberculosis, like other infectious diseases, respects no borders”.  She called for increased commitment by the Nigerian government to health research development to increase the country’s competitiveness at the international level.  Ambassador Sanders expressed confidence that Nigeria will forge ahead with this challenging but important endeavor. The U.S. Government will collaborate with Nigeria to develop a beneficial research agenda for the future, she said.

Scientific collaboration between the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases / National Institutes of Health (NAID/NIH) and the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) began in 2002. This collaboration has primarily focused on the discovery of new anti-tuberculosis drugs and the development of research skills and technology.

The Honorable Minister of State for Health said, “My Ministry is a beneficiary of several projects in the health sector that are funded by the U.S. Government ranging from immunization to HIV/AIDS.  I did not know that your genuine desire to assist our people had extended to health Research for product development at NIPRD.

Director-General of NIPRD, Dr. Uford S. Inyang, listed the current achievements of the collaboration. These include the state-of-the art laboratory for tuberculosis drug research, training of NIPRD scientists in Nigeria and the U.S, provision of ICT facilities for the project, and validation of Nigerian Traditional Anti-TB Therapy. Other fields of support are in the area of NIPRD’s quest for new Anti-TB drugs and drug leads and the establishment of NIPRD/NIH/University of Ibadan Fellowship Program, which leads to PhD degree in the area of Natural Products Chemistry.

In his very succinct remarks, Dr. Edmund Tramont, Associate Director Special Projects NAID/NIH, stated that the U.S. support was premised on this time-tested and universally adopted Chinese proverb:  “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish and he will eat for a lifetime."  NIH is helping NIPRD to develop its scientific competitiveness at the international level; the onus is now on NIPRD to take up this challenge, he said. Many of the speakers commended Dr. Tramont, describing him as “the door” through which Nigeria accessed this U.S. Government support.

The event attracted high-ranking Nigerian officials from the executive branch, legislature, academia and traditional institutions. The U.S. delegation, led by Ambassador Sanders, included members of NAID/NIH,  USAID, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy.