A pharmaceutical company that specializes in the production of medication kits used for the treatment of diabetes, hypertension, and heart-related diseases is set for commissioning in Ogun State this weekend.
The Chief Executive Officer of Codix Bio Pharmaceutical Company, Mr. Sammy Ogunjimi, disclosed this during a courtesy call on Governor Dapo Abiodun in his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta. He mentioned that the factory is located along the Sagamu-Ijebu-Ode Expressway.
Mr. Ogunjimi noted that the company, which started operations in 2008, focuses on cardio-metabolic health related to diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
“When we came to Nigeria, we realized that treatment was a problem in the country, but beyond that, the biggest issue is effective diagnosis. People are often not properly diagnosed, which may be due to a lack of knowledge. In the few years we have been in Nigeria, we were the first to facilitate the guidelines for diagnosing diabetes, and that was in 2009.
“We have shifted our business model a bit from just treatment to focusing more on diagnosis, which is why, over time, people have started to recognize us because of the unique area we ventured into,” he said.
He stated that although 99 percent of test kits are used in Africa, not a single kit is manufactured on the continent; hence, it is time for African investors to begin looking into manufacturing medical kits to stop depending on those produced abroad.
The CEO also mentioned that his company is in partnership with the World Health Organization on technology transfer to build capacity for the manufacturing of Rapid Diagnostics Tests, starting with HIV, malaria, and others within the company.
“The project that will be commissioned on Friday falls within that scope, and it is the only one of its kind. We are receiving technology transfer from SG Biosensor. The products from this factory will not only serve Nigeria but all of Africa, and bringing this product home is important to me,” he stated.
He added that another contract manufacturing factory, which would cater to importers of generic products and allow them to have their brands manufactured in Nigeria, would soon be established in the state within the next 18 months.
The CEO noted that his company has, on many occasions, donated its products to various Primary Healthcare Centres across the state.
He explained that he decided to bring his investment to the state because of the conducive business environment and the business-friendly posture of the current administration, adding that his company would work with the government to realize its objectives in the health sector.
“I cannot just be doing business in Lagos and not bringing something home. In the back of the industry, we are going to create a sort of ecosystem. The plastics for the test kits are imported from China and India, so we are going to produce that at this factory.
“For me, as the son of the soil from Sagamu, I tried to use my influence to ensure that those industries come to Ogun State,” he stated.
Governor Abiodun, in his response, stressed the need to invest in capacity building to meet the required knowledge for the emerging industrialization of the state and the nation at large.
Abiodun, who decried the low turnout of knowledge-based graduates in the nation’s educational institutions, warned that if the trend is not reversed, companies would be forced to bring in manpower from outside the country, a situation which he said would not bode well for the state and nation.
He said: “It is important we invest in capacity building so that we have the required knowledge. Ogun State is the education capital of Nigeria, and we just need to ensure that we create courses that match the investments and investors coming into Ogun State, so that we are not graduating students who are mismatched for the investors coming here.
“If we are not prepared for it, it will mean that we are bringing in people from outside the state and country to assist us. We must ensure that we nurture the right skill set to support these emerging industries that are springing up.
“I want to thank you for the capacity-building initiative with the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital. That is very commendable. The same thing we have done by transforming our School of Nursing into a College of Nursing because we found that people are building hospitals, but there are no nurses. Most of our nurses are just traveling abroad, so we had to turn our School of Nursing into a degree-awarding college to provide well-grounded nurses for us.”
While pledging continued support for the evolution, growth, and stability of the healthcare sector, the governor informed that his administration has repositioned the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital for optimal service to the people, noting that this has cascaded into primary and secondary healthcare institutions, with more than 100 Primary Healthcare Centres renovated while over 70 have been earmarked for rehabilitation.
“Our target is to ensure that we have about 236 centers, one per ward, that are properly equipped and befitting to ensure that everyone can walk to a PHC in the first instance, and from there to secondary and tertiary institutions for the hub-and-spoke model that we seek to implement,” he said.
Abiodun underscored the importance of collaboration with relevant stakeholders to strengthen the healthcare sector and prepare for any unforeseen circumstances to nip them in the bud whenever they arise.
He expressed happiness with the decision of the company to establish a production center in the state.
He said: “We are excited to be part of this success, and we hope that what you are doing will allow the industry to achieve the production of pharmaceutical equipment and drugs to the tune of 70 percent by 2030, as envisioned by the administration.
“I have read that this will be the first large-scale RDT manufacturing plant in Nigeria and the second largest in sub-Saharan Africa; this is commendable.
“I am happy you enjoy the support of the World Health Organization and other agencies who have suddenly realized that we are vulnerable in Nigeria, particularly with what happened in 2020-2021 during COVID, which exposed the fragility of our healthcare system.
“We were scrambling for vaccines, test kits, and ventilators, and I think this itself has presented an opportunity for people like yourself to take the initiative and invest, ensuring that in the event of another epidemic or pandemic, we are more than prepared to meet those challenges.”
The governor assured that his administration would collaborate with genuine investors, noting that “it is important that as we bring in more and more people to live, work, and play in Ogun State, we provide infrastructure in line with our ISEYA implementation pillars to ensure they live happily. We cannot bring people to live where there are no schools for their children, no health facilities, and no roads. This definitely ticks the boxes for us, and we are committed to it.”
