Nigeria Invests N45.08bn in Airport Biosecurity System

On Wednesday, the Federal Government approved N45.08 billion for a national biosecurity and response system across five international airports to improve Nigeria's ability to detect and manage infectious diseases at its borders. This announcement was made by Prof. Ali Pate, the Minister of Health and Coordinating Minister of Social Welfare, following a Federal Executive Council meeting led by President Bola Tinubu.

The biosecurity project, which will be executed through a 20-year public-private partnership with Biohealth Consortium, will be implemented at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano, Port Harcourt International Airport, and Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu. The project has been in preparation for two years and aims to address vulnerabilities in public health threats, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The system will include advanced pathogen detection technologies to enhance health security at Nigeria's entry points.