Nigeria secures discounted diagnostic equipment, boosts local health manufacturing through China deal
In a major development for Nigeria’s health sector, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, has secured a landmark agreement in China, promising affordable diagnostic equipment and new foreign investment in local healthcare manufacturing.
The Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday via its official X handle that Professor Pate concluded strategic engagements in Beijing and Guangzhou, resulting in a discounted diagnostics deal and renewed investor confidence in Nigeria’s healthcare industry.
During a working visit to PlusLife Diagnostics’ corporate headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Guangzhou, Professor Pate obtained a commitment for a heavily discounted mass procurement of Point-of-Care (POC) diagnostic equipment for Tuberculosis and other Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) through the United Nations StopTB Global Drug Facility.
The Ministry explained that the agreement directly supports the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), which seeks to expand access to affordable diagnostics, reduce catastrophic out-of-pocket expenses, and strengthen the healthcare value chain for long-term sustainability.
In addition to the discounted supply deal, PlusLife Diagnostics pledged to establish local manufacturing operations in Nigeria between 2026 and 2028.
The move reflects growing investor confidence spurred by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reform policies under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Speaking on the development, Professor Pate described the deal as “a transformational step toward decentralising diagnostics and expanding access to quality testing through our Primary Health Care system.
”With the significant cost advantage of PlusLife technology, we can stretch resources further to test more Nigerians and save more lives.”
The Minister also noted that the surge in investment momentum is directly linked to a recent Executive Order issued by President Tinubu, which eliminated taxes and import duties on pharmaceutical raw materials, diagnostic equipment, vaccine production inputs, and healthcare manufacturing lines.
“This Executive Order is not theory, it is already working. Global partners are responding because Nigeria has now become a viable market where innovation, manufacturing, and value chain growth can thrive,” he said.
Professor Pate also spoke at the Sino-Africa Healthcare Cooperation Forum 2025 in Beijing, organised by the Embassy of Nigeria in collaboration with CEIBS, AFKMED, and VCBeat.
He emphasised that Nigeria’s macroeconomic and health sector reforms were aligning health development with industrial policy.
He highlighted that these initiatives were generating new manufacturing opportunities and driving sustainable economic expansion.
The Ministry noted that through strategic diplomacy and reform-driven execution, Nigeria is positioning itself as Africa’s emerging hub for diagnostic innovation, pharmaceutical production, and health technology scale-up, with the dual goals of expanding access to lifesaving care and transforming the health sector into a key engine of national growth.
