Dr Isiaq Adekunle Salako, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, announced Nigeria's openness to healthcare investment during the World Health Expo in Lagos. He emphasized the need for advanced diagnostic equipment, therapeutic technologies, and digital health infrastructure in federal tertiary hospitals. A 2024 health infrastructure programme approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and supported by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority is establishing 22 modern medical diagnostic centers, six oncology facilities, and seven cardiac catheterization laboratories across the country's six geopolitical zones. The initiative operates through public-private partnerships to expand access to care.
Salako cited the Presidential Initiative to Unlock Healthcare Value Chains (PVAC) and a Presidential Executive Order on pharmaceuticals as key reforms aimed at boosting local manufacturing, health security, and job creation. He stated these efforts are designed to turn innovations from events like the World Health Expo into tangible patient benefits. Prof. Aliko Ahmed, Special Representative of Africa CDC for West Africa, noted that over 60 percent of vaccines and medicines used in Africa are currently imported. He said African heads of state have set a target for 60 percent of medical products to be produced on the continent by 2040.
Ahmed stressed the importance of harmonizing regulations so products made in one African country can be sold in others. The African Pooled Procurement Mechanism aims to combine purchasing power for bulk buying, supporting manufacturers with guaranteed markets. Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said adopting new equipment requires maintenance plans, compliance, and affordability. He highlighted Lagos's healthcare finance reform and push for insurance uptake to reduce out-of-pocket costs and encourage private investment. "Insurance provides a social safety net so people can access care without worrying about out-of-pocket costs," Abayomi said.
The health minister promotes private investment in new diagnostic centers while the Lagos commissioner points to systemic gaps in maintenance and affordability that could undermine the rollout. The federal push for 22 centers proceeds without public detail on how equipment sustainability will be managed. Lagos's focus on insurance as a financing tool suggests patient access may still hinge on state-level reforms not guaranteed under the federal plan. The gap between procurement and long-term functionality remains unaddressed in the national strategy.
💡 NaijaBuzz Take is AI-assisted editorial opinion, not established fact. Full disclaimer →
