Nigeria begins local production of insecticide-treated mosquito nets

Nigeria has commenced local production of insecticide-treated mosquito nets as part of efforts to strengthen malaria prevention and reduce reliance on imported health products.

The new facility, Health Textiles Nigeria FZE, is the first in the country to manufacture dual-active ingredient insecticide-treated nets, according to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

The ministry announced the development in a press release posted on its X account on Thursday and signed by its Assistant Director, Information and Public Relations, Ado Bako.

The facility, owned by Vestergaard Sarl, will produce “PermaNet® Dual,” a mosquito net designed to address the growing challenge of insecticide resistance and prequalified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2023.

The health ministry noted that at full capacity, the facility is expected to produce about 10 million nets annually and create more than 600 jobs.

Malaria burden

The development comes as Nigeria continues to bear a substantial share of the global malaria burden.

WHO estimates that 282 million malaria cases and 610,000 deaths occurred globally in 2024, with the African Region accounting for about 95 per cent of cases and deaths.

Nigeria accounted for 31.9 per cent of malaria deaths in the African Region in 2024, according to WHO.

Malaria is transmitted through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes and remains preventable and curable. WHO identifies insecticide-treated mosquito nets as one of the key tools for preventing mosquito bites and reducing malaria transmission.

New facility targets resistance

According to the ministry, the new facility is intended to strengthen Nigeria’s ability to produce essential malaria prevention commodities locally while addressing the growing challenge of resistance to insecticides.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, said the investment aligns with the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), particularly its focus on strengthening the country’s healthcare value chain through investment, local production and domestic capacity.

“This investment demonstrates what is possible when government policy, private-sector investment and technology transfer come together to unlock Nigeria’s healthcare value chain,” Mr Pate said.

He said the commencement of local production would strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to manufacture essential health products and contribute to a more resilient health system.

“About 80 employees have already been recruited and are undergoing training in manufacturing excellence, product quality, occupational health and safety, and regulatory compliance,” the ministry added.

According to the ministry, the establishment of the facility follows a 2024 Memorandum of Understanding between Vestergaard and the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), aimed at strengthening local production capacity for essential health products.

Benefits of facility

The National Coordinator of PVAC, Abdu Mukhtar, said the development demonstrates how investment, technology transfer and government policy can translate into productive capacity and skills development.

He said the training of Nigerian professionals and commencement of production represented the kind of outcome the initiative seeks to replicate across other areas of the healthcare value chain.

Vestergaard’s Chief Executive Officer, Amar Ali, said the company was pleased to commence production in Nigeria and thanked the federal government for its support.

Mr Ali said the facility would combine Vestergaard’s manufacturing expertise with “Nigerian talent to produce dual-active ingredient insecticide-treated nets locally.”

The ministry said the first commercial orders from the facility are expected to be fulfilled in the coming months.

It said domestic production would help expand Nigeria’s capacity to manufacture a critical malaria prevention commodity while strengthening the country’s healthcare value chain.

By Mariam Ileyemi, Premium Times

U.S. Lands C-17 in Nigeria with Military Supplies Ahead of $346M Arms Deal

 

In September 2026, a heavy U.S. Air Force C-17 transport aircraft landed in Lagos and Kainji, Niger State to transfer defense equipment directly to the Air Force authorities in Nigeria.

The logistical mission was executed under an official Foreign Military Sales agreement between the two armed forces to reinforce Nigerian-led counter-terrorism operations.

Emphasizing the cooperative nature of the arrangement, official military reports published by Africom noted that "U.S. military support to the Armed Forces of Nigeria is by its invitation and rooted in respect for Nigerian sovereignty".

U.S. military aircraft transfers defense package to Nigeria under sales agreement

The cargo delivery follows an approved Foreign Military Sales deal valued at an estimated $346 million.

Official Defense Security Cooperation Agency documentation shows the package includes 1,002 general-purpose 500 lb bombs, over 1,500 computer control groups for Paveway II precision laser-guidance systems, and 5,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II rockets equipped with high-explosive warheads.

Detailing the strategic goals of the supply agreement, the agency stated that "This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a strategic partner in Sub-Saharan Africa".

Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) reported that the munitions will improve operational capability "to meet current and future threats through operations against terrorist organizations and to counter illicit trafficking in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea,"

DSCA also reported that "The proposed sale of this equipment will not alter the basic military balance in the region".

By Awogbemila Temitope, Business Insider Africa

Dangote refinery buys 16 million Nigerian barrels as Iran war tightens global oil supply

Four industry sources told Reuters⁠ that the purchases were assembled through Nigerian National Petroleum Company allocations and additional cargoes acquired through tenders.

The volume is equivalent to approximately 520,000 barrels per day and would provide most of the crude required by Dangote’s 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery during October.

The final quantity could rise if the refinery makes further purchases. Dangote did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

Dangote’s growing claim on Nigerian crude

NNPC is expected to supply eight cargoes of Nigerian oil to the refinery in October, matching the monthly record reached in April, May and August. The state oil company will also provide one cargo of US WTI Midland crude.

Dangote reportedly bought a second WTI Midland cargo and enough additional Nigerian oil through a spot tender to lift its confirmed October purchases to at least 16 million barrels.

The purchases show the refinery’s increasing ability to rely on domestic supply after repeatedly importing crude from the United States, Libya and Guyana.

Kpler data cited by Reuters showed that Dangote received about 565,000 barrels of Nigerian crude per day in August, nearly twice its average of approximately 280,000 barrels per day in 2025.

That shift supports Nigeria’s long-standing aim of refining more of its oil at home. However, it also leaves traders with fewer Nigerian cargoes to sell abroad at a time when global buyers are competing for crude produced outside the Middle East.


Iran conflict changes the market

The purchases carry consequences beyond Nigeria because the Iran conflict has disrupted traditional oil flows and strengthened demand for West African grades.

Chinese refiners have already bought more than 20 million barrels from Angola, the Republic of Congo and other alternative suppliers as they attempt to replace constrained Iranian and Russian supplies.

Dangote is now competing in that same market while requiring enough crude to run one of the world’s largest single-site refineries.

The refinery’s chief executive, David Bird, said this week that damage to Middle Eastern production and refining infrastructure could keep global fuel markets tight even after fighting ends.

Dangote plans to spend $14.3 billion to expand its capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day by 2029. At that scale, its demand for crude could rival the output of some OPEC members.


Purchase comes before record IPO

The crude acquisition was disclosed days before the order book for Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals’ IPO is expected to open.

Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission approved an offer intended to raise approximately $1.63 billion (₦2.15 trillion) through the sale of 4.1 billion shares at ₦525 each.

The offer is expected to open on 14 September and would become Africa’s largest IPO if completed as planned.

Reliable crude access is therefore more than an operational matter. It is central to the refinery’s production, earnings and valuation as Dangote seeks money from millions of prospective investors.

By Ayodeji Adegboyega, Business Insider Africa

Boko Haram reportedly reach secret three-month ceasefire

The Nigerian government has been involved in a secret ceasefire with Boko Haram for the past three months, according to an investigation by The New Humanitarian, in a development that could mark a rare pause in years of fighting in northeastern Nigeria.

The reported truce began in June after negotiations that secured the release of 360 civilians abducted from Ngoshe village, in the foothills of the Mandara Mountains near Nigeria’s border with Cameroon, The New Humanitarian reported.

Three people with contacts among Boko Haram members, including some senior figures, independently told the organisation that the ceasefire had been in effect since June and was likely to be extended for another 40 days.

Two of the sources said attacks had stopped in communities around Ngoshe, which have repeatedly been targeted by the armed group.

Truce followed mass abduction

The 360 villagers were abducted in March during a Boko Haram attack on a nearby army base, according to The New Humanitarian.

The negotiations that led to their release reportedly included a payment of five billion naira ($3.7m) by the Nigerian government.

The alleged payment has become controversial in Nigeria, with the government denying that it paid a ransom.

The New Humanitarian said it contacted government, defence and army spokespeople to verify the reported ceasefire but received no response before publication.

Al Jazeera has not been able to independently verify the reported ceasefire or the alleged payment.

The reported agreement does not include Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a rival armed group that operates in northeastern Nigeria and the wider Lake Chad region.

Fighting between Boko Haram and ISWAP has continued, according to The New Humanitarian.

Government publicly rejects talks

The reported ceasefire comes despite the Nigerian government’s public rejection of negotiations with Boko Haram, which is designated as a “terrorist organisation” by the Nigerian authorities.

President Bola Tinubu has instead focused on expanding the military’s capacity to fight armed groups. In July, he announced plans to recruit 30,000 additional personnel and create four new army divisions.

Behind the scenes, however, there have been repeated attempts to establish dialogue with Boko Haram, according to The New Humanitarian, citing security officials, diplomats and mediators familiar with previous efforts.

Those efforts have included ceasefire arrangements that eventually collapsed.

Conflict researcher Malik Samuel told The New Humanitarian that the latest reported agreement should not necessarily be interpreted as the beginning of a lasting peace process.

“It could be just a temporary, tactical ceasefire that benefits both sides, but doesn’t really affect the trajectory of the war,” Samuel said.

The current arrangement could also allow Boko Haram to strengthen its position, with two sources warning that the group could use the pause to move equipment into the Mandara Mountains, The New Humanitarian reported.

Boko Haram has carried out attacks and kidnappings in northeastern Nigeria and neighbouring countries around the Lake Chad region since 2009. The group has since fractured into several factions, while ISWAP operates as a separate and rival armed group.

Al Jazeera

Soldier injured as military repels ISWAP attack on military base

The Nigerian military says one soldier sustained an injury during a failed Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) attack on a military base in Pulka, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.

The soldier whose identity was not disclosed sustained gunshot injury to his left arm, and was being treated, according to a statement by Mohammed Goni, the spokesperson for Operation Hadin Kai, a joint task force in the North-east.

Mr Goni, a Nigerian Army captain, stated that the terrorists attempted to overrun the military base on Monday, but were resisted by the ground troops, including members of Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF).

The ground troops, he said, were assisted by the air component of operation Hadin Kai, which provided Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) during the attack.

This coordinated response forced the terrorists to retreat “with casualties.”

“As the terrorists attempted to escape following the fierce resistance from ground troops, the air component conducted precision strikes on identified hostile elements, disrupting their withdrawal and further frustrating their efforts to regroup,” Mr Goni said.

The military spokesperson added that “military positions across Pulka remained securely under the control of the security forces.”

He paid tribute to the members of the CJTF who “played an important supporting role during the operation by providing useful local information and assisting the troops in maintaining situational awareness.”

Mr Goni said troops further carried out an “operation” to determine extent of battle damage, recover abandoned weapons, and obtain intelligence that could help track down fleeing terrorists.

The military spokesperson said the coordinated response “demonstrated the effectiveness of joint efforts in confronting terrorist threats across the theatre.”

“Troops remain firmly deployed and on heightened alert across the area, with aggressive patrols, surveillance and other offensive and defensive operations continuing to deny terrorist elements freedom of movement and action,” he said. “The military will sustain pressure on the terrorists while taking necessary measures to safeguard the lives and property of law-abiding citizens.”

He advised the public to remain vigilant and provide credible information to troops.

ISWAP, a second breakaway faction of Boko Haram has intensified attacks on military bases in recent years. But a joint operation involving Nigerian and US troops has decimated the group’s ability to carry out frequent attacks as it used to.

Even as it is weakened, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) warned that the group could carry out attacks to avenge the killings of its top commander, Abubakar Mainok and other fighters.

Mr Mainok was killed alongside some fighters by US and Nigerian troops following what the presidency described as months-long tracking in Abuja and Lake Chad region.

By Yakubu Mohammed, Premium Times