Gatefield, a public strategy and media group, will convene health policymakers, innovators, and creative-sector leaders in Abuja on 21 and 22 October to discuss how to expand successful health interventions and integrate them into wider health systems.

The 2026 Gatefield Health Summit, themed “Scaling What Works,” will focus on the policy, financing and institutional barriers that limit the expansion of proven health solutions across Africa.

The event, which will also be accessible virtually, is expected to bring together stakeholders to examine how grassroots initiatives, digital health tools and locally developed solutions can move beyond isolated successes and reach more communities.

Building on 2025 discussions

The summit comes a year after the inaugural edition, where experts and policymakers called for stronger domestic health financing, community-led innovation and greater use of data and local expertise to build resilient health systems.

Participants at the 2025 summit also raised concerns about the sustainability of health interventions that rely heavily on external funding, while advocating greater investment in locally developed solutions and stronger community ownership of health programmes.

The discussions also highlighted the need for African countries to use evidence, research and local expertise more effectively in shaping health policies and designing health systems.

Building on those concerns, this year’s summit will focus on what is required to move effective interventions from individual projects to wider adoption.

Speaking on the focus of the summit, Gatefield’s Public Health Lead, Omei Bongos, said many effective health solutions were already being developed and implemented across Africa but faced barriers that limited their expansion.

Ms Bongos said bringing stakeholders from different parts of the health ecosystem together would help create the conditions needed to expand such interventions.

“Effective, high-impact health solutions are already thriving across Africa. However, their growth is stalled by a missing institutional backbone, from essential capital to conducive policy frameworks”.

“By uniting key stakeholders across the ecosystem, this summit seeks to drive these solutions into every community,” she said.

Longevity

A major feature of the two-day event will be the launch of a new Gatefield report examining the factors driving premature mortality in Africa, with a particular focus on Nigeria.

The findings are expected to inform discussions on longevity and the wider factors that determine how long and how well people live.

The programme will examine issues beyond medical treatment, including food and agricultural systems and their role in addressing the rising burden of non-communicable diseases.

It will also explore the use of film, digital culture and other creative industries to influence health behaviour and communicate public health messages to wider audiences.

READ ALSO: Gatefield, experts call for urgent reforms to address Nigerias health crisis

Speakers

Confirmed speakers include Siddhartha Prakash, Head of Global Health at the World Intellectual Property Organisation; Senator Ipalibo Banigo, Chair of the Nigerian Senate Health Committee; Shina Arogundade, Chief Executive Officer of MyItura; Osita Okonkwo, Country Director of Nutrition International; and Jamila Yakubu, Director of Programme Medicines at Zipline.

Other global health leaders are expected to participate in the event.

A Nigerian pharmaceutical company, Fidson Healthcare Plc, has been selected to develop and manufacture a generic version of baloxavir marboxil, an antiviral medicine used to treat influenza.

The selection makes Fidson one of 11 manufacturers across nine countries chosen under a voluntary licensing agreement between the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) and Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche.

The company disclosed this in a press release signed by its media contact, Tope Akindele. The MPP, a United Nations-backed public health organisation, also announced the sublicence agreements on 25 September.

The selected manufacturers are from Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Uganda, Ukraine and Vietnam. The MPP said the arrangement is intended to “diversify supply pathways for influenza treatment, support regional production, and strengthen preparedness for future outbreaks and pandemics.”

What it means for Fidson, Nigeria

The selection makes Fidson one of the manufacturers that would develop, manufacture and supply generic versions of baloxavir in 129 countries covered by the licence, subject to regulatory authorisation.

The agreement also gives selected manufacturers access to technical data, reference products for bioequivalence studies and other support to facilitate product development and regulatory approval.

The MPP said it selected the manufacturers following an open Expression of Interest process and an assessment of their technical and regulatory capacities and commitment to producing quality-assured baloxavir products.

The organisation said having manufacturers in different regions would help build production capacity closer to the populations the medicines are intended to serve and strengthen the resilience of global supply.

For Nigeria, the selection places a local pharmaceutical manufacturer in a global effort to expand production of an influenza antiviral while strengthening domestic and regional pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity.

Selection strengthens Africa’s role

Fidson’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Biola Adebayo, described the selection as a validation of the company’s commitment to quality-assured pharmaceutical manufacturing and innovation.

“Being selected by the Medicines Patent Pool as a sublicensee under the Roche-MPP voluntary licensing programme for baloxavir marboxil is both an honour and a validation of Fidson’s longstanding commitment to quality-assured pharmaceutical manufacturing, innovation, and improving healthcare outcomes,” Mr Adebayo said.

He said the partnership would allow the company to contribute to efforts to strengthen regional health security and preparedness for future health emergencies.

“As an African healthcare company, we are proud to contribute to global efforts aimed at strengthening regional health security, enhancing preparedness for future health emergencies, and ensuring that life-saving medicines reach the patients who need them most,” he said.

Mr Adebayo said the partnership also demonstrated the growing role of African manufacturers in the global health ecosystem.

He said Fidson would work with Roche, the MPP and other stakeholders to support broader access to baloxavir across eligible markets.

READ ALSO: Fidson, Nigeria’s largest pharmaceutical company, delivers N3.6 billion dividend to shareholders

Part of pandemic preparedness

The announcement came as global leaders gathered in New York for the United Nations General Assembly to discuss pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

The MPP said the licensing arrangement is designed to build manufacturing capacity before, rather than during, a health emergency.

Charles Gore, Executive Director of the MPP, said the organisation would work with the selected manufacturers on product development and regulatory approval, aiming to make quality-assured generic baloxavir available as quickly as possible.

“By combining global manufacturing capacity with regionally focused production, we are helping build a more geographically diverse and resilient supply base for the future,” Mr Gore said.