Vestergaard, Harvestfield Launch ‘SNG Health’, to Produce Cutting-edge Mosquito Nets

Sunday Ehigiator

Vestergaard Sàrl and Harvestfield Industries Limited yesterday marked a historic milestone with the ground-breaking of a first-of-its-kind joint venture to transform malaria prevention and strengthen health security through direct investment in mosquito net manufacturing in Nigeria.

The new joint venture, named SNG Health, will manufacture PermaNet Dual, Vestergaard’s latest dual-active-ingredient pyrethroid-chlorfenapyr net, designed to combat insecticide resistance.

Production at the state-of-the-art facility is scheduled to commence in April 2026, with an annual capacity of 10 million nets, resulting in the creation of 600 skilled jobs.

The ground-breaking ceremony took place at the site in Ogun State, with contributions from the National Coordinator of the President’s Value Chain Initiative (PVAC), Dr. Abdu Mukhtar; Director of Public Health at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Godwin Ntadom; Director and National Coordinator of the National Malaria Elimination Programme, Dr Nnenna Ogbulafor; Consulate General of Switzerland in Lagos, Nigeria, Ms. Cornelia Camenzind; and Task Team Leader, World Bank Nigeria, Mr. Onoriode Ezire.

Speaking at the event, Dr. Mukhtar noted that, “Nigeria is signaling that we are ready to lead the next frontier of malaria control in West Africa. This facility is a direct outcome of the federal government’s commitment to industrialise our health sector and anchor critical health products within the country.

“Every mosquito net produced here represents a Nigerian job, a Nigerian skill strengthened, and value created within our economy. This joint venture between Vestergaard and Harvestfield shows what a responsible, future-focused partnership looks like.

“Today’s ground-breaking reaffirms our determination to ensure that life-saving tools like PermaNet Dual are manufactured at scale, to global standards, and with long-term sustainability built into the system.”

Nigeria shoulders the world’s highest malaria burden, accounting for a quarter of all global cases, and tragically, two out of every five children lost to malaria are Nigerian.

While these are daunting statistics, new evidence from the Malaria Atlas Project shows we know what works: insecticide-treated nets have been instrumental in the fight against malaria, responsible for 72 per cent of all malaria cases prevented globally between 2000 and 2024.

Notably, dual active-ingredient nets, including PermaNet Dual, have alone stopped 40 million cases from 2019 to 2024. These findings underscore that, though the challenge is immense, scaling up access to these proven, life-saving tools can unlock progress towards both national and global malaria control targets.

Also speaking, the CEO of Vestergaard, Amar Ali, said, “This facility embodies Vestergaard’s commitment to long-term partnership with Nigeria, demonstrating that private sector leadership can drive lasting impact.

“By directly investing in local production of PermaNet Dual—and putting our brand’s reputation behind this venture, we are not only delivering world-class innovation, but also ensuring families across Nigeria have quality protection against malaria.

“We believe that responsible enterprises must support African leadership in health by investing in local systems, training professionals and strengthening the capacity needed for countries to have the autonomy to protect the health of their own people.”

In his address, CEO of Harvestfield Industries, Martins Awofisayo, noted that, “Today marks an important step in strengthening Nigeria’s health security and industrial capacity.

“By partnering with Vestergaard to establish this facility in Nigeria, we are creating a reliable local source of world-class mosquito nets that will support malaria prevention efforts across the country.

“This investment is a testament to our commitment to saving lives, empowering communities, and building a sustainable manufacturing base for essential public health tools.”

The Managing Director, SNG Health, Prosper Ndayiragije, said: “Today’s ground-breaking opens a new chapter of malaria control for Nigeria, underlining this country’s steadfast commitment to defeating this devastating disease.

“We are honoured to have the unwavering support of PVAC as we work together with Vestergaard and Harvestfield to make this initiative a reality.

“By manufacturing Vestergaard’s latest mosquito net innovation, PermaNet Dual, we are committed to doing our part to ensure that no Nigerian family will have to endure the burden of malaria in the future.”