The Nigerian Government has announced the indigenous development and validation of RNA Swift, a test kit for the identification of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent for Covid-19, to accelerate the capacity to test people and help manage the Coronavirus pandemic.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, the nation’s capital, the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, said that the “RNA Swift has amazing precision for the detection of SARS-COV-2 and would be available at a price that places it ahead of competitors in terms of sensitivity and affordability.”
According to Dr Onu, the RNA Swift was borne out of a need in the Agricultural sector to test Nigerian farmers and labourers in the country.
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He further disclosed that in the coming months, five million farmers will be tested with the RNA Swift kits from the first 10 million kits to be produced.
The Minister described the development of the testing kit as “Nigeria’s gift and contribution to help Africa and the World fight the Covid-19 pandemic” adding that by encouraging Nigerian scientists and innovators, Nigeria has the capacity to find solutions to global challenges.