Vestergaard Sàrl has announced the start of operations at Health Textiles Nigeria FZE, a new manufacturing facility expected to produce 10 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets annually and create more than 600 jobs in Nigeria at full capacity.
According to the company, the facility is Nigeria’s first to manufacture dual-active-ingredient insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) designed to tackle growing insecticide resistance.
Health Textiles Nigeria will manufacture PermaNet Dual, Vestergaard’s next-generation mosquito net, which was prequalified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2023.
The WHO has also recognised the facility as a Vestergaard production site.
The company said the commencement of local production marks a major milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen malaria prevention while positioning the country as a manufacturing hub for next-generation mosquito nets in Africa.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, said the development would strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to manufacture essential health products locally.
‘The commencement of local production of next-generation insecticide-treated nets is an important milestone for Nigeria’s health system and our fight against malaria,’ Pate said.
He added that the initiative would combine global expertise with Nigerian talent and local production, creating skilled jobs and strengthening the country’s healthcare value chain.
The development comes amid the continued burden of malaria globally, particularly in Africa.
According to the WHO, an estimated 282 million malaria cases and 610,000 deaths were recorded globally in 2024. Nigeria accounts for about a quarter of the world’s malaria cases.
Vestergaard said ITNs, including PermaNet Dual, have helped avert an estimated 1.13 billion malaria cases since 2000.
The Health Textiles Nigeria project follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2024 between Vestergaard and the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), aimed at strengthening local manufacturing capacity.
Dr Abdu Mukhtar, National Coordinator of PVAC, said the facility demonstrates the potential of aligning investment, technology transfer and government policy to develop local manufacturing.
‘When PVAC and Vestergaard signed the MOU in 2024, the objective was not simply to attract investment, but to translate partnership into productive capacity in Nigeria,’ Mukhtar said.
He said training Nigerian professionals and starting production represented the type of outcome the government hopes to replicate across the healthcare value chain.
Health Textiles Nigeria is wholly owned by Vestergaard, which has supplied approximately one-third of all publicly procured insecticide-treated nets globally since 2000.
The company said it has already recruited about 80 employees, with training underway in manufacturing, product quality, health and safety, and regulatory compliance.
As operations expand, the facility is expected to employ more than 600 people and build a skilled workforce for health-product manufacturing.
Vestergaard CEO Amar Ali said the facility could become a benchmark for malaria-prevention manufacturing across Africa.
‘By combining Nigerian talent with world-class manufacturing and Vestergaard’s deep expertise in innovative malaria-prevention tools, Health Textiles Nigeria will deliver the highest standards of quality, compliance and performance,’ Ali said.
He added that local production would help ensure that life-saving mosquito nets are manufactured closer to the communities that need them.
With production now underway, Vestergaard said it expects to fulfil the first commercial orders in the coming months.