The Federal Government has secured more than $1 billion in concessional financing and grants to drive reforms aimed at transforming Nigeria’s healthcare system, according to the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako.
Speaking at the maiden edition of the BusinessDay Health Conference in Abuja on Thursday, Dr. Salako said the funds, sourced through partnerships with the World Health Organization (WHO), USAID, the World Bank, Gavi, and others, are being used to strengthen governance, upgrade infrastructure, expand access, and encourage private sector involvement.
He stressed that the reforms go beyond policies, describing them as “foundational shifts aimed at producing health, not just delivering healthcare.”
The conference, themed “Transforming Nigeria’s Healthcare Landscape: Government Reforms as Catalysts for Unlocking the Full Potential of the Healthcare Value Chain”, brought together key players from the public, private, and development sectors.
“Through these strengthened partnerships, we have secured over $1 billion in concessional financing and grants to support the ongoing transformation of our health system.
We are making progress, but we must do more. Government alone cannot heal Nigeria’s health system. We need the private sector, civil society, academia, and subnational governments to co-create solutions that are bold, inclusive, and scalable,” Dr. Salako said.
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He added, “Under the Renewed Hope Agenda led by His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, health is viewed not as a cost centre but as a vital investment for national prosperity, productivity, and security.”
Salako emphasised that the initiative is more than policy, it is an actionable transformation agenda focused on saving lives and improving patient outcomes.
Outlining the Federal Government’s priorities, the Minister said the Nigerian Health Sector Renewal Initiative (NHSRI) serves as the blueprint for reforms, targeting better governance, stronger quality standards, value chain development, and improved health security.
The initiative is built on digitisation, performance-based accountability, and smarter spending.
On workforce development, Salako revealed that medical school intake has increased by 62% since 2023, 15,000 new health workers have been hired, and new policies have been introduced to attract diaspora professionals, offer retention incentives, and establish a national health workforce registry.
Energy reliability is also being addressed through the Energy for Health Initiative, which is installing solar hybrid systems and clean energy solutions in federal tertiary hospitals and primary healthcare centres.
This has already eliminated power outages in facilities such as the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) and Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Keffi.
He further announced the ‘Power in the Health Sector’ Initiative, with a landmark dialogue scheduled for September 9–10, 2025, to create a national policy framework for sustainable energy access in healthcare facilities.
To boost private sector participation, the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC) is offering targeted incentives in pharmaceutical manufacturing, diagnostics, infrastructure, and health technology.
So far, 87 local manufacturers have benefited, leading to a 12% drop in production costs.
On Universal Health Coverage (UHC), funds from the Basic Health Care Provision Fund are being directed to primary healthcare centres, prioritising vulnerable groups and expanding access through community-based insurance and integrated financing models.
The Minister also highlighted the National Digital Health Initiative (NDHI), which provides a roadmap for a secure, interoperable digital health system, creates jobs, and safeguards patient data.
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Image Credit: Nairametrics
