Keypoints:
- Codix Bio to produce 147 million test kits yearly
- Production replaces donor-dependent imports
- Kits to support Nigeria and broader Africa
A NIGERIAN manufacturer is launching large-scale production of HIV and malaria test kits as the country braces for the impact of US foreign aid reductions. Codix Bio Ltd will begin rolling out rapid diagnostic kits this month from its new plant outside Lagos, aiming to meet both national and regional needs, the company confirmed to Reuters.
The move follows significant cutbacks to foreign health assistance from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), previously a major funder of HIV and malaria control programmes in Nigeria.
In 2024, US health-related support to Nigeria totalled $740 million, according to USAID data. The funding covered malaria prevention, HIV control, and vaccine distribution across health centres nationwide. However, with future US contributions uncertain, local manufacturers are stepping up.
Codix Bio targets 147 million kits a year
Codix Bio’s general manager, Olanrewaju Balaja, said production will begin in late June, with technical partnership from South Korea’s SD Biosensor and backing from the World Health Organization.
‘From the statistics of what is supplied by USAID and PEPFAR annually, and looking at our current production capacity, we can meet Nigeria’s demand,’ Balaja told Reuters.
The plant is designed to produce 147 million test kits annually, with scalability to over 160 million depending on need. If expanded, Balaja said Codix could serve West and Sub-Saharan Africa as well.
Local solution to a growing public health risk
Nigeria carries the world’s heaviest malaria burden, accounting for about 27 percent of global cases, according to the World Health Organisation. It also ranks fourth globally in HIV prevalence, according to UNAIDS.
Balaja said the company’s aim is to ensure stable access to diagnostics amid global supply disruptions and donor pullbacks.
‘The focus was for us to be able to play in the field of supplying rapid diagnostic test kits for donor agencies, which USAID was particularly at the forefront of,’ he said.
Government and donors expected to buy locally
Balaja added that Codix Bio expects its kits to be procured not just by the Nigerian government, but also by multilateral organisations like the Global Fund.
The government has indicated it will raise domestic funds to sustain essential health services once covered by foreign donors.
Codix Bio’s initiative also supports broader efforts to increase Africa’s self-sufficiency in public health manufacturing—particularly in diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics.
