Healthcare stakeholders have called for urgent reforms to strengthen quality, affordability, and equity in Nigeria’s healthcare delivery system. They warned that millions of Nigerians remain at risk due to slow implementation of essential health policies and high out-of-pocket expenditure. The call was made during a webinar on Thursday marking Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day 2025 High-Level Convening. Themed “Unaffordable Health Costs? We’re Sick of It”, the 2025 UHC Day High-Level Convening was organized by the Nigeria UHC Forum in collaboration with the PharmAccess Foundation. The event brought together national and sub-national leaders, policymakers, health financing experts, development partners, civil society…
Author: Newsdesk
The Federal Government and the African Union–Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) are collaborating to strengthen safe and market-linked livestock mobility across the African region. The partnership also aims to create a system where livestock movement is safe, orderly and economically beneficial. The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha, stated this on Thursday at the Continental Learning Forum on Market-Linked Transhumance Models in West Africa, held in Abuja. The theme of the forum is “Strengthening Safe, Orderly, and Market–Linked Livestock Mobility through Evidence, Cross–Regional Learning, and Investment Partnership.” Maiha said the presence of key stakeholders underscored a shared commitment to…
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) says the continent is moving closer to meeting the criteria for downgrading mpox as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security. The agency said the move has become feasible as more countries continue to report zero cases for extended periods. Prof. Yap Boum, Incident Manager for Health Emergencies at Africa CDC, disclosed this on Thursday during the continent’s virtual weekly press briefing. Boum said seven countries have now reached the “end phase”, while Sierra Leone is expected to enter the “control phase” on Dec. 16 after maintaining more than 42…
Chief Mike Ozoemena, Managing Director of the Anambra State Waste Management Agency (ASWAMA), says the state is aiming to rank among the three cleanest states in Nigeria. Ozoemena stated this in Awka on Thursday while reviewing the agency’s activities over the past 12 months. He said the state had adopted a decentralized waste management system in which Local Government Councils oversee waste disposal within their jurisdictions, while the Ministry of Environment and ASWAMA provide coordination. According to him, the administration of Gov. Chukwuma Soludo began its environmental reforms with the cleanup of Okpoko in Ogbaru Local Government Area and the…
Prof. Peter Okebukola, a former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), on Thursday called for a drastic increase in research and development funding for Nigerian universities. Okebukola made the call in Malete while delivering the 13th Kwara State University (KWASU) Convocation Lecture titled “Universities in the Age of Quantum Thinking: Redefining Quality, Relevance and Innovation through Emerging Technologies.” He said Nigeria invests approximately 0.2 per cent of its GDP in research—far below the African average of 0.5 per cent and significantly lower than global research leaders who invest between 3 and 4 per cent. Okebukola noted that the…
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) on Thursday presented Nigeria’s first Gas Trading Licence and Clearing House and Settlement Authorisation to JEX Markets Limited, in line with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). The official presentation was done in Abuja by Dr Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Gas), Authority Chief Executive, Mr Farouk Ahmed, Oscar Onyema, Chairman, JEX Markets, lawmakers and other dignitaries. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that with the development, JEX Markets has been licenced to establish and operate a gas trading exchange platform, including clearing and settlement functions, for natural gas…
The Network of People Living With HIV in Nigeria (NEPWHAN), has expressed excitement over the N100.6 million allocation for HIV/AIDS kits, consumables by the Sokoto State Government. The NEPWHAN Programme Officer, Malam Yahaya Sanusi, stated this during a media engagement on Thursday in Sokoto. Sanusi described the efforts as a landmark achievement which was part of the advocacy proceeds made by NEPWHAN at government institutions and other stakeholders’ engagements. ”This will douse the anxiety intensified after the United States Government paused foreign aid funds in January, an action that immediately affected the delivery of life-saving HIV medicines and prevention services…
The Federal Government/International Fund for Agricultural Development–Value Chain Development Programme (FG/IFAD-VCDP) says it has created more than 11,000 permanent jobs through its agribusiness support initiatives. Dr Fatima Aliyu, National Programme Coordinator of VCDP, disclosed this on Thursday at a media roundtable in Abuja. Aliyu said the programme had generated 11,890 permanent jobs, including 3,128 for women, 2,710 for men and 6,052 for youths, who now run various agribusiness ventures. She noted that the intervention had helped reduce rural–urban migration, especially among young people, while providing income-generating opportunities for vulnerable women and persons with disabilities. “Our main objective at VCDP is…
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare says standardizing the production of Tom Brown will help tackle Nigeria’s high malnutrition rates and improve child nutrition across communities. Mrs. Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi, Director of the Nutrition Department, stated this on Thursday in Abuja at a two-day stakeholders’ meeting to review the Draft National Guidelines on Tom Brown Production, organized with support from Catholic Relief Services (CRS). She said unified standards were urgently needed because current production practices varied widely in composition and safety. “There is a dire need to develop National Guidelines on Tom Brown Production and Implementation to ensure quality,…
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned stakeholders in the regulated products sector to comply fully with its guidelines or face legal consequences. The warning was issued by the South-East Zonal Director, Dr Festus Ukadike, during a one-day stakeholders’ sensitization programme on Thursday in Owerri. The programme brought together groups including the Nigeria Agro Input Dealers Association, the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, and the National Association of Patent Proprietary Medicine Dealers. Ukadike reaffirmed NAFDAC’s commitment to safeguarding public health, saying: “NAFDAC has the mandate to ensure that all regulated products meet standards…