Dr. Olufemi Ogunyemi MD/CEO NEPZA (left), presenting the Operation Licence to Mr. Martins A. Awofisayo, MD/CEO Harvestfield Industries Limited, promoter of the zone.
By Chidi Ugwu
The Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA) has presented the Declaration of Licence and Operation Licence to promoters of the Harvestfield Free Trade Zone (FTZ), a newly approved zone dedicated to the production of medical products, in a move aimed at reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported healthcare supplies.
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Speaking at the presentation ceremony in Abuja, NEPZA’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Olufemi Ogunyemi, said the establishment of the Harvestfield FTZ would significantly curb the importation of medical products by boosting local manufacturing capacity.
Ogunyemi described the zone as a strategic intervention designed to address critical gaps in Nigeria’s health sector while positioning the country as a potential exporter of healthcare products.
“Harvestfield FTZ is strategic and focused on addressing key deficits in the health sector. This opens up a new opportunity for the country to become an exporter of health products,” he said.
He urged medical investors to take advantage of the incentives available within Nigeria’s free trade zones to scale up domestic production of medical supplies and equipment.
According to him, NEPZA remains committed to facilitating trade and investment initiatives that drive economic growth and align with the Federal Government’s industrialisation agenda.
“The Authority consistently supports trade and investment facilitation that drives economic growth and strengthens the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda to transform the country into an export-oriented nation,” Ogunyemi added.
Also speaking at the event, Dr. Abdu Mukthar, Presidential and Federal Ministry of Health representative, said the Harvestfield FTZ was an offshoot of the Presidential Executive Order on Local Manufacturing of Healthcare Products signed in 2024 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Mukthar, who also serves as National Coordinator of the Presidential Initiative to Unlock Healthcare Value Chains (PVAC), explained that the zone would host a major manufacturing partnership involving Danish conglomerate Vestergaard—the world’s largest producer of insecticide-treated nets—and Nigerian business group Harvestfield.
Under the joint venture, SNG Health, the partners are expected to produce 10 million dual-insecticide mosquito nets annually at the facility, creating an estimated 600 direct jobs in Ogun State.
He disclosed that the two firms had already invested 30 million dollars in establishing the facility, with additional financial commitments from smaller partners to support the project’s expansion.
According to Mukthar, production at the new plant is scheduled to commence in April 2026. During its first phase, the facility is projected to meet 30 per cent of Nigeria’s national demand for insecticide-treated nets.
He highlighted the public health significance of the investment, noting that Nigeria currently accounts for 27 per cent of the global malaria burden and 30 per cent of malaria-related deaths annually.
The local production of dual-insecticide nets, he said, would enhance access to life-saving preventive tools and strengthen the country’s fight against malaria.
The Harvestfield FTZ is expected to deepen Nigeria’s healthcare value chain, reduce pressure on foreign exchange spent on medical imports, and stimulate industrial growth through job creation and technology transfer.
The development marks a further step in the Federal Government’s drive to expand local manufacturing under the free trade zone scheme and reposition Nigeria as a competitive player in global health product exports.
