What scientists must do to access CBN’s research grant
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) pledged to fund a scientific research programme geared towards developing a curative medical response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This policy response - Healthcare Sector Research and Development Intervention Scheme (HSRDIS), is to help strengthen the public healthcare system with innovative financing of research and development (R&D) in the area of new and improved drugs, vaccines and diagnostics of infectious diseases in Nigeria.
The HSRDIS is designed to trigger intense national R&D activities to develop a Nigerian vaccine, drugs and herbal medicines against the spread of COVID-19 and any other communicable or non-communicable diseases through the provision of grants to biotechnological and pharmaceutical companies, institutions, researchers, and research institutes for the research and development of drugs, herbal medicines and vaccines for the control, prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. In other words, though the scheme was inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic, its application is not limited to the disease alone.
The idea is to use the scheme to boost domestic manufacturing of critical drugs and vaccines to ensure their sustainable domestic supply and reduce the bulk manufacturing costs of the drugs, herbal medicines and vaccines in Nigeria. To enable those to be involved in the scheme, the CBN put together guidelines on how to access the funds and other things involved so as to achieve the intended set objectives.
On a broad basis, the objectives of the scheme include the provision of grants for research and development (R&D) in new or revalidation of drug molecule, phytomedicines and vaccines for the control, prevention and treatment of infectious diseases in Nigeria. It is intended to boost domestic manufacturing of validated drugs and reduce the nation’s dependence on other countries for these drugs and vaccines.
It is expected to go a long way in improving the capacity of the biotechnological and pharmaceutical companies, institutions, researchers, and research institutes in the development of approved Nigerian drugs, herbal medicines and vaccines for infectious diseases.
Furthermore, it will support the capacity of relevant health agencies towards attaining WHO Maturity Level 3, a prerequisite for manufacturing of vaccines in Nigeria; facilitate partnership between academia (researchers, research institutes and universities) and industry in the research and development of drugs in the country.
As is to be expected, there is eligibility soft state of affairs in the region. Petitions from the zone on abuse of office and misdemeanor against well-connected officials are handled with kid gloves, while glaring instances of sleaze are glossed over.
At a time when consensus dictates that prospects of restoring the Niger Delta rests on the reversion to the Master Plan, much of what is trending is nothing more than the pursuit of personal interests by the powers that be. At the last count the two interventionist agencies for the region being the NDDC and PAP are running without any formal leadership structure. They are therefore both technically adrift with make-shift corporate governance structures, and could not have been in more vulnerable conditions, given their exposure to manipulation by vested interests.
That is why a new paradigm for the region’s development has to evolve through economic inclusion strategies for the people. The starting point is to provide as soon as possible, fresh, legitimate leadership structures to the two interventionist agencies for the region pursuant to prioritising meaningful economic inclusion of as wide as possible cross-section of the people there, and not be fixated on grandiose projects that will only enrich the pockets of the anointed. Secondly, the expected leadership should demonstrate verifiable competence and political acceptability by the host communities.
A post mortem of the past organisational crises that crippled these two agencies highlights the routine playout of of arbitrariness in availing them of the failed helmsmen. It would seem that incumbents of such sensitive leadership positions were roused from their deep slumber, and asked to take-up the designated offices whose statutory briefs often determined the destinies of the general public. Thus they came protocol that must be fulfilled by those to be engaged in the scheme. The guideline demands that research and development of candidate drugs, herbal medicines and vaccines must be validated by relevant health authorities for the control, prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. Also, beneficiaries must be involved in the manufacturing of drugs, herbal medicines and vaccines validated by relevant health authorities for the control, prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
There will, at the same time, be an R&D process into new health technology for the control, prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. This will entail research partnership between academia and industry into the development of drugs and vaccines for the control, prevention and treatment of infectious diseases; research and development into validated phytomedicines for the control, prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
Candidate vaccines undergoing preclinical testing or trials shall not be eligible for consideration under this scheme, although candidate vaccines 4 classified as confidential undergoing clinical testing or trials shall be eligible for consideration under the scheme if considered to have high potential to cross the clinical trial stage and prospects of scale by the Body of Experts (BoE).
In applying for the grant, the applicant into positions without any personal agenda for performance nor even proven acquaintance with the statutory mandates of such offices. It was like the case of appointing the blind to lead the handicapped. And since they offered no manifesto at inception, whatever they offered as performance was swallowed by the system, hook line and sinker.
If nothing else, Nigerians are witnessing the long drawn drama associated with the selection of chief executives of development agencies like the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO), where two of the most eminent Nigerian professionals are contesting for their respective top offices. Akinwumi Adesina and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala are in the races for the Directors General of the AfDB and WTO respectively, in a manner that has brought out to public scrutiny, the best in each of them. Needless to state that even before their successful selection, their proposed missions in office have been trending in the public domain.
In the context of the unrelenting leadership related crises that have brought the NDDC and PAP to the melting point, and by implication placed the Niger Delta region at a crossroads, lies the question of whether the graceful processes of leadership selection by the global development agencies, can ever be the lot of these two interventionist agencies of NDDC and PAP? The merit of this question lies in the expectation that the least which can be said in respect of any new deal for the region is that only widely trusted leaders who can guarantee equity, accountability, transparency and probity can carry the day as the preferred leaders at the helm of affairs of the NDDC and PAP. Anything short of the foregoing will simply deepen the dilemma of the Niger Delta region at the turning point with significant implications for the rest of the country. shall be required to have conducted preclinical testing of the candidate drugs, and obtained certification from relevant health authorities for further research and development.
The Central Bank of Nigeria, in its wisdom, decided to fund the scheme from the developmental component of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Fund (MSMEDF). For the avoidance of doubt, the grant limit with respect to research activities is a maximum of N50m and N500m maximum for development/ manufacturing activities.
The apex bank insists that disbursement under the scheme shall be made to beneficiaries in tranches subject to approved milestones achieved. Similarly, there is a set time frame for research and development activities of not more than two years from the date of release of fund. For the Development and manufacturing activities, the time frame must not exceed one year from the date of release of fund.
Explaining further the involvement of the Body of Experts in the scheme, CBN said that it is responsible for the review and evaluation of submitted research proposals, as well as recommend for financing R&D projects with high potential to contribute to the development of the Nigerian vaccines for infectious diseases.