The Nigerian government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening ethical standards in the country’s health research sector, according to a press release by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
The assurance was given by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, during the 2026 Face-to-Face Meeting and Training Workshop of the National Health Research Ethics Committee (NHREC) held in Abuja.
The minister said ethical oversight remains central to credible research outcomes, public trust and scientific integrity, especially as Nigeria expands clinical trials, drug development and vaccine research.
He recalled that health research ethics in Nigeria gained formal structure with the establishment of NHREC in 2005 and its legal empowerment under the National Health Act of 2014, which mandates the committee to grant ethical approvals, issue guidelines for research involving human subjects and monitor studies to protect the rights, safety and wellbeing of research participants.
Dr. Salako commended the reconstituted NHREC, chaired by Professor Richard Adegbola, for improving standards through timely review of research proposals and strengthened regulatory oversight. He noted that the 2026 workshop coincided with the second anniversary of the reconstituted committee, inaugurated in January 2024.
According to the press release, a major highlight of the minister’s address was the digital transformation of the ethics review process, including the revamp of NHREC’s website and the introduction of an electronic ethics review portal. The initiative was described as a game changer that will enhance efficiency, data management, cost-effectiveness, stakeholder engagement and performance monitoring across the research landscape.
The minister called on researchers, institutions, sub-national ethics committees and international partners to fully utilise the e-portal to promote transparency, strengthen research integrity and safeguard the welfare of research participants nationwide.
The press release also noted the minister’s appreciation of international partners — including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, US-CDC, WHO’s African Vaccine Regulatory Forum (AVAREF), the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials (MRCT) Centre and GARNET partners — for supporting NHREC’s capacity building efforts, particularly through the Trial Regulation and Clinical Ethics Optimization (TRACE) project.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Dr. Salako said Nigeria would continue to encourage and fund local research in drug development, vaccines and disease epidemiology, stressing that meaningful outcomes depend on a strong ethical research environment.
He urged NHREC members to intensify efforts towards building a robust and ethical health research system capable of contributing to national development and global health goals.