The Federal Government has approved a ₦45.8 billion biosecurity and disease surveillance project for five international airports to strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to detect Ebola and other infectious diseases before they spread across the country.
The project, approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) under a 20-year public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement, will introduce advanced diagnostic laboratories, real-time disease surveillance systems and technologies for detecting potential biological threats associated with international travel.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, disclosed the approval on Wednesday while briefing journalists after the FEC meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja.
Pate said the Council approved the full business case for the project, which was awarded to BioHealth Consortium under a concession arrangement designed to improve early detection, monitoring and response to infectious disease threats at Nigeria’s major international gateways.
The five airports selected for the initiative are Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos; Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja; Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano; Port Harcourt International Airport; and Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.
According to the minister, the initiative is intended to address vulnerabilities in the country’s public health surveillance infrastructure, particularly at international points of entry.
He said lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent infectious disease threats had demonstrated the importance of establishing coordinated systems capable of identifying and responding to emerging outbreaks.
“Since COVID, we have known that there are significant vulnerabilities in terms of public health threats crossing borders and the need for coordinated, technology-driven systems for early warning, detection and response to emerging infectious disease threats,” Pate said.
The minister noted that more than 18 million passengers travel through Nigeria’s airports annually, making effective surveillance essential to protecting public health and sustaining international travel.
He explained that the project would combine advanced laboratory facilities with technology-driven monitoring systems to identify potential infectious disease threats involving passengers, aircraft, baggage and cargo.
Under the concession agreement, BioHealth Consortium will be responsible for designing, financing, constructing, operating and maintaining the facilities throughout the 20-year period.
The Federal Government will retain policy, institutional and regulatory oversight, while ownership of the infrastructure will revert to the government at the end of the concession.
Pate disclosed that the arrangement had been reviewed and endorsed by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission.
He said the proposed facilities would incorporate wastewater surveillance technologies capable of identifying pathogens associated with aircraft and international travel.
The systems will also include air and surface sampling equipment, alongside technologies for monitoring cargo and baggage for potential biological threats.
Modern laboratories will be established at the airports to provide rapid diagnostic capabilities and facilitate the early identification of suspected infectious disease cases.
A National Surveillance Operations Centre will also be created to coordinate monitoring across the five airports, integrate surveillance data, track suspected incidents and support rapid responses to potential outbreaks.
According to Pate, the facilities will operate in collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Port Health Services, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigeria Immigration Service and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The minister explained that coordination among the agencies would strengthen information-sharing and improve Nigeria’s ability to detect, investigate and contain public health threats at its borders.
Pate said the initiative was partly informed by Nigeria’s recent experience in responding to an imported Ebola case.
He disclosed that surveillance and containment measures had been maintained before the confirmation of the case in October, adding that the patient had recovered after receiving treatment in Nigeria and was continuing to improve in her home country.
The minister nevertheless warned that the risk of cross-border transmission remained significant, particularly amid concerns about Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the possible emergence of other dangerous pathogens.
He maintained that the proposed surveillance network would provide additional safeguards against infectious diseases entering Nigeria through international air travel.
Beyond Ebola, the project is designed to strengthen preparedness for other infectious disease threats by improving diagnostic capacity, surveillance coordination and the speed of public health responses.
The government expects the initiative to enhance national health security, protect travellers and support the movement of people and goods through Nigeria’s international airports.
Although FEC approved the ₦45.8 billion project and its 20-year concession structure, the supplied briefing did not specify a construction timetable or commissioning date for the five facilities.
Deji Elumoye, Abuja
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