China’s government says it is solidifying deals with Nigeria to build Africa’s first insulin production plant to curb the surge of diabetes across the continent and also position Nigeria as a hub for African medical biotechnology.

National Biotechnology Research and Development Agency (NBRDA) of Nigeria and Shanghai Haiqi Industrial Company Limited of China had signed a memorandum of understanding on sustainable insulin production to help bring treatment for the health condition closer to millions of Africans that lack access to diabetes treatment.

A WHO report funded by the National Institutes of Health, Department of Science and Innovation (South Africa); and the South African Medical Research Council showed that more than 800 million adults have diabetes worldwide, almost twice as many as previous estimates have suggested. And a new study suggests that more than half of those aged over 30 who have the condition are not receiving treatment.

The research showed that the high incidence of type 2 diabetes in this middle-aged sub-Saharan Africa population is influenced by several modifiable risk factors that should inform interventions to mitigate the disease burden.

The World Health Organization has previously estimated in a separate report that about 422 million people have diabetes, a chronic metabolic disease involving blood sugar levels, which can damage the heart, blood vessels, nerves and other organs if untreated.

Choice of Nigeria and Africa for the establishment of the production facilities follows reports showing that millions of Africans remain vulnerable to fallouts of untreated diabetes due to lack of access to insulin and other medications.

Oracle Intelligence reports that there were around 828 million people aged 18 years and older with type 1 and type 2 diabetes worldwide in 2022, according to a separate study published in The Lancet. Among adults aged 30 years and older, 445 million, or 59% of them, were not receiving treatment, the authors said.

Treating diabetes, either with insulin or drugs, can be expensive; and a professor at the University of Yaounde I in Cameroon, Jean Claude Mbanya, is quoted in a report as saying that only 5-10% of those estimated to have diabetes in parts of sub-Saharan Africa were getting treatment.

“A huge number are at risk of serious health complications,” he said.

The study found the global prevalence of diabetes has doubled since 1990 to 14% from around 7%, and the authors suggest the increase has been driven largely by rising cases in low- and middle-income countries. The report indicated widening treatment gap between low-income countries and high-income areas of the world.

Whereas there are far more cases, treatment rates in low-income regions have barely increased, the authors said. They noted that things have improved in some higher-income countries.

The study published in The Lancet projected that Type 2 diabetes cases in sub-Saharan Africa would more than double to nearly 55 million by 2045, driven by the shifting diets and decline in physical activity also seen in other parts of the world.

In February, policymakers, academics, and philanthropists gathered in Kigali to discuss the rise of non-communicable diseases, with Type 2 diabetes emerging as a particular concern as only 5-10% of those estimated to have diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa are receiving treatment due to the high cost of medication.

The new insulin production facility coming to Nigeria is therefore “expected to lower treatment costs” and “expand access to life-saving diabetes medication,”  according to report on the investment by China Daily.

Under the terms of the deal, Nigeria would now host Africa’s first local insulin production facility which is expected to lower treatment costs, expand access to life-saving diabetes medication, and position the country as a pharmaceutical hub for West Africa.

Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, said the agreement was “a landmark moment in Nigeria’s scientific and healthcare journey.”

Ambassador Yu Dunhai while speaking at a reception to celebrate the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in Abuja, said the facility would transform diabetes management by reducing reliance on imported insulin.

“Chinese companies are in talks with Nigeria to build Africa’s first local insulin production facility, potentially ending Nigeria’s reliance on imported insulin and positioning Nigeria as a hub for African medical biotechnology,” Yu said on October 1.

Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, represented by Senator Babangida Hussaini, noted that Nigeria and China share Oct 1 as national day and described Nigeria’s relationship with China as comprehensive and strategic in developing the country’s economic infrastructure, including roads, railways, power plants, and industrial parks.

Jibrin added that cooperation is expanding beyond infrastructure into people-to-people ties, with thousands of young Nigerians now studying in China, and Nigerian culture gaining visibility in Chinese society.

He said local production will not only meet a critical health need, but also create jobs, develop technical expertise, and establish Nigeria as a regional hub for medical biotechnology. Nnaji also added that the partnership will boost Nigeria’s self-sufficiency in healthcare.

“This cooperation will ensure a stable supply of insulin in Nigeria, promote development of the country’s pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity through technology transfer and local production, create more jobs, and contribute to economic growth,” he said.

Director-General of NBRDA, Mustapha Abdullahi, said the collaboration would resolve challenges in insulin supply.

“Insulin is normally imported and comes in different types, but today we are moving towards a standard local production system,” Abdullahi said. “This effort is not only for Nigeria but for other African countries as well.

The initiative is a step in the country’s push to localise essential drug production, according to Abdullahi, which will reduce costs for patients, and enhance Nigeria’s position in Africa’s pharmaceutical sector.