The federal government has formally taken delivery of 1,653 Solar Direct Drive cold-chain refrigerators intended to strengthen Nigeria’s immunisation infrastructure.
The equipment handover occurred in Abuja, where the Executive Secretary of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Muyi Aina, emphasized its importance in reducing the number of unimmunised children and advancing President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for high-quality primary healthcare.
Dr. Aina revealed that 1,241 of the refrigerators are of the B-medical brand, while the remaining 412 units are B plus models, with selection determined through a careful, experience-based process. To ensure durability and sustained functionality, the package includes 165 spare parts and a 10-year maintenance agreement covering preventive upkeep by the vendor.
An integrated routine immunisation campaign, scheduled to begin in October, will utilize the new equipment. Dr. Aina explained that all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory will receive allocations, with 448 units going to the North-west, 308 to the North-central, 128 to the North-east, 205 to the South-east, 343 to the South-west, and 221 to the South-south. These figures indicate that just over half—884 units—will be deployed in northern Nigeria, with the remaining 769 units assigned to southern regions. The initiative aims to reach 109 million Nigerian children aged zero to 14 with various vaccines.
The World Health Organization’s representative, Dr. Alex Dasasira, described the delivery as a milestone in fortifying Nigeria’s vaccine infrastructure, aligning with the global Immunisation Agenda 2030’s priorities for equitable access, sustainable cold-chain systems, and integrated primary healthcare. UNICEF’s Chief of Health, Dr. Maharajan Muthu, noted that GAVI, WHO, UNICEF, and the NPHCDA collaborated on needs assessments, analytics, procurement, and delivery of these advanced cold-chain systems.
