Abuja:The Guild of Medical Laboratory Directors of Nigeria (GMLD) has called on the Federal Government to invest in the local manufacturing of diagnostic reagents, consumables, and equipment to reduce the nation’s reliance on imports.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the appeal was made in a communiqu© following the Guild’s 28th Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting, which took place in Abuja from September 15 to September 19. The conference, themed ‘From Diagnostic Sovereignty to Market Readiness: Building Nigeria’s End-to-End Diagnostics Ecosystem,’ gathered over 400 medical laboratory directors, policymakers, academics, industry stakeholders, regulators, and development partners.
The GMLD emphasized that Nigeria’s dependence on imported diagnostic products leaves its health system susceptible to external disruptions. They stressed the importance of developing a sustainable, innovative, and competitive domestic diagnostics industry. The Guild urged continuous efforts to promote local manufacturing, technology transfer, research, and innovation, ensuring that domestically produced diagnostic products meet recognized standards for quality, analytical performance, safety, and reliability.
Additionally, the Guild called for the government, financial institutions, and development partners to offer appropriate financing, research grants, infrastructure support, and investment incentives for local manufacturing and diagnostic innovation. They clarified that building diagnostic sovereignty does not entail isolating Nigeria or manufacturing every diagnostic product locally. Instead, it involves enhancing the country’s capacity to determine its diagnostic needs, select suitable technologies, and regulate the sector.
The GMLD also highlighted the need for procurement systems that would create consistent and sustainable demand for quality-assured diagnostic products. Procurement decisions should balance affordability, quality, reliability, patient safety, and value for money, rather than focusing solely on the lowest price.
The Guild advocated for stronger collaboration among laboratories, manufacturers, academia, research institutions, regulators, and government to support product development, validation, field evaluation, and post-market assessment. They also called for an integrated national laboratory network to facilitate appropriate patient and specimen referrals, timely result transmission, and improved access to diagnostic services.
Furthermore, the GMLD urged the development of an integrated national laboratory information and data architecture linking public and private laboratories to assist in disease surveillance, quality monitoring, resource planning, and evidence-based decision-making. They also suggested positioning Nigeria’s diagnostics industry to serve both domestic and African markets.
The Guild stressed the necessity of moving from ongoing discussions about import dependence to measurable implementation, supported by clear responsibilities, realistic timelines, dedicated financing mechanisms, and robust monitoring indicators. They reaffirmed their commitment to supporting policies, partnerships, and practical initiatives aimed at transforming Nigeria’s diagnostic sector towards greater local capacity, innovation, sustainable markets, and regional competitiveness. The ultimate goal, they stated, is to improve the quality of care, enhance patient safety, and achieve better health outcomes for Nigerians.