By Favour Emi
Governments of the European Union and Nigeria have signed a €18 million cooperation agreement for the production of local vaccines as well as to support research for national plans for the pharmaceutical industry and medical technologies.
The agreement was signed on behalf of the European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, and the Permanent Secretary of Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Education, Didi Walson-Jack, at the EU Global Gateway High-Level Event on Education held in Brussels on Thursday.
At the event, Urpilainen said the new collaboration underlines the EU’s strong commitment to education and health equity, adding that,
Economic growth depends on an educated, skilled workforce and healthy societies, and investing in strengthening education and health systems worldwide is an integral part of the European Union’s Global Gateway strategy. Our investments in quality education, research, and training seek to empower future generations by equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and competencies they need in a changing world to tackle global challenges and build prosperity.
She stresses that the fund which is under the Team Europe Initiative on Manufacturing and Access to Vaccines, Medicines and Health Technologies in Africa (MAV+) will support the wider enabling environment around Nigeria’s pharmaceutical sector, notably by promoting:
skills development through education and training research and development (e.g. research in artificial intelligence and nanotechnology)
the digitalization of essential dimensions of the ecosystem
a centralized system for forecasting, procurement, and distribution of quality medical products
trade, investment, customs facilitation, intellectual property rights frameworks and conditions, and an enabling environment for preferential trade and investment.
Also at the signing were the 15 Intra-Africa Mobility Scheme projects funded by the EU with €27 million under the flagship Youth Mobility for Africa.
According to her, the projects will provide learning mobility opportunities for students, trainees, and staff across the continent and will boost high-level green and digital skills, as Nigeria stands to benefit from the six projects:
CB4EE – Capacity Building for Engineering Education Practice and Research (€1.8 million of EU funding in total, with the participation of the University of Lagos-Unilag)
CREATE-Green Africa – Climate Research and Education to Advancing Green Development in Africa (€1.8 million of EU funding in total, with the participation of the University of Port-Harcourt)
GENES II – Mobility for Plant Genomics Scholars to Accelerate Climate-Smart Adaptation Options and Food Security in Africa II (€1.8 million of EU funding in total, coordinated by the Ebonyi State University)
GREEN STEM – Green, Resilient and Entrepreneurial Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics for Africa (€1.8 million of EU funding in total, with the participation of the University of Lagos-Unilag)
HCE Solutions – Promoting Inclusive Homegrown Clean Energy Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in Africa (€1.8 million of EU funding in total, coordinated by the Federal University of Technology and with the participation of the University of Nigeria)
ORPHAN – Mobility for High Skilled Scientists and Entrepreneurs on Orphan Crops in Higher Education for Accelerated Climate Change Solutions in Africa (€1.8 million of EU funding in total, with the participation of the Ebonyi State University)
Commissioner Urpilainen also launched a key initiative of the Youth Action Plan in EU external relations, the Africa-Europe Youth Academy, which will provide opportunities for formal and informal learning and exchanges to young people looking to improve their leadership skills and create networks between Africa and Europe.
It was revealed that Nigeria could also benefit from the regional Team Europe Initiative on Opportunity-driven Skills and Vocational Education and Training in Africa, launched at the High-Level Event on Education in Brussels, to orient country-level vocational training initiatives towards concrete employment opportunities through the Global Gateway investments.