National Biosecurity Policy and Action Plan 2022 to 2026 (FEC Approved 2022)

What Is This Policy?

The National Biosecurity Policy and Action Plan 2022 to 2026 is Nigeria's first comprehensive whole-of-government biosecurity framework, approved by the Federal Executive Council in 2022. It fosters an integrated One-Health approach to preventing, early detecting, rapidly responding to, and recovering from biological threats to human, animal, plant, and environmental health, whether naturally occurring, accidental, or deliberate.

Who Does It Target?

Researchers, laboratory scientists, and technicians working with high-risk biological agents in public and private institutions Frontline health workers, veterinarians, quarantine officers, and agricultural extension agents who are first to encounter biological threats Border security, immigration, customs, and port health personnel responsible for controlling bio-threat entry points Farmers, market traders, and abattoir operators who handle animals, crops, and agri-food products at risk of biosecurity breaches

What Does It Aim to Achieve?

Foster integration and harmonisation of Nigeria's biosecurity strategies across all sectors under a unified One-Health governance framework Prevent the introduction, unauthorised access to, and unintentional or deliberate release of biological agents and toxins that could harm humans, animals, plants, or the environment Establish an early warning, detection, and rapid response system for biosecurity incidents at the human-animal-environment interface Build national biosecurity institutional capacity across all 65-plus agencies with biosecurity-related mandates, eliminating coordination gaps

Key Features

One-Health Approach: The Policy integrates the human health (NCDC), animal health (FMoA), environmental (NESREA), agricultural (NAQS), and intelligence (DSS, DIA) sectors into a single coordinated biosecurity governance structure National Biosecurity Register: NBMA maintains the National BioSecurity Register, cataloguing all institutions, agencies, laboratories, and stakeholders involved in biosecurity activities across Nigeria Five-Pillar Action Plan: Prevention and preparedness; detection and surveillance; response and containment; recovery and rehabilitation; international obligations and cooperation Laboratory Biosecurity Standards: All laboratories working with dangerous pathogens must implement WHO Biosafety Level (BSL) standards; NCDC maintains reference laboratories to support accurate detection International Compliance: The Policy ensures Nigeria's compliance with the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) Confidence Building Measures (CBMs), IHR 2005, and the Cartagena/Nagoya Protocols Chemical and Biological Emergency Plan: NBMA coordinates the National Chemical and Biological Emergencies Preparedness and Response Plan (NCBEPRP) to ensure cross-sector readiness for chemical-biological incidents

Current Status

The policy is active and being implemented, having been approved by the Federal Executive Council in 2022 for the period 2022 to 2026.

Legal Framework

Biological Weapons Convention (Convention on the Prohibition of Biological Weapons); National Health Act 2014; Animal Diseases (Control) Act; Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service Act; Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999