INTERVIEW: FG’s N8.49bn will be also used for future epidemics, says NCDC DG

On Wednesday, the federal executive council (FEC) approved N8.49 billion for the procurement of COVID-19 test kits to aid testing capacity of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). FEC gave the approval after a presentation by Osagie Ehanire, minister of health. In this interview with TheCable, Chikwe Ihekweazu, director-general of the NCDC, explained how the agency plans to use the money. He said the fund will help in equipping existing and planned molecular laboratories in all states to effectively tackle COVID-19 and be prepared for future outbreaks. Ihekweazu said the NCDC will set up more laboratories across the country before the end of August.

TheCable: The FEC released N8.49 billion for the purchase of COVID-19 test kits recently. Does it mean that Nigeria is facing shortage of the kits and in need of urgent stockpile?

Ihekweazu: In the last six months, we have grown from five laboratories to 62 laboratories as at the 14th of August, 2020. We have continued to prioritise and expand our testing capacity in order to establish the true burden of COVID-19 in Nigeria.

Our goal is to ensure that every state has at least one laboratory for COVID-19 testing by the end of August 2020.
At the beginning of the response, one of our biggest challenges was access to reagents and extraction kits for testing. This was largely due to the increased demand globally. We have worked very hard with our partners to strengthen our supply chain.

We have not had any stockout of test kits in-country in the last three months. The global challenge of demand exceeding supply still exists, but we continue to work very hard to ensure that our laboratories run optimally.

TheCable: How many kits do you plan to procure with the money released?

Ihekweazu: The funds will be used to access test kits and consumables for laboratories that use the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)technology, cartridges and other consumables for GeneXpert laboratories as well as equipment for these laboratories. This is not a one-off plan but is to ensure that all laboratories including those yet to be activated, are provided with sufficient supplies to carry out tests.
Even more importantly, these funds are being used to equip a network of molecular laboratories that will serve our country now, and for future outbreaks.

TheCable: Lagos state got the lion share of the kits donated by Jack Ma, the Chinese billionaire, in April. What will be the distribution pattern to states this time around?

Ihekweazu: Our response is data driven. We have a team at the NCDC-led Emergency Operations Centre that monitors the number of cases in every state, capacity of laboratories and other indicators.
Through this, we deploy laboratory supplies and other consumables to states. We have developed a well-defined system to enable us to track the level of supplies in every state and every laboratory, forecast needs and plan early deployment as needed.

TheCable: How soon can the kits arrive in Nigeria and is there a ready market to approach?

Ihekweazu: Most of the supplies required for COVID-19 diagnostics are not just bought off the market. We have placed orders as this approval process was ongoing, as part of strategies to maintain our supply chain. There are risks of delays from manufacturers and logisticians, but we are working very hard to ensure that our country is prioritised.

In addition, some test supplies such as virus transport medium (VTM) are produced in Nigeria and can be accessed.
We are also leveraging on various mechanisms such as the Africa Centre for Disease Control’s Partnership to Accelerate COVID-19 Testing (PACT) to enable quick access to diagnostic supplies.