Nigeria’s ongoing health sector reforms have received global recognition at a high-level event during the 2025 World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings in Washington D.C., themed “Scaling Health Reforms.”
This was disclosed in a statement released through the official X handle of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, @Fmohnigeria, confirming Nigeria’s active participation and role at the event.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, joined global health leaders, including the WHO Director-General, World Bank President, health ministers from various countries, and executives of leading pharmaceutical companies.
The session focused on strengthening collaboration in sustainable health financing, local pharmaceutical production, and innovative partnerships to improve primary healthcare delivery among participating nations, including Nigeria.
Speaking at the session, Prof. Pate highlighted the progress achieved through Nigeria’s Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) — an initiative that aligns government and donor investments with national priorities to deliver measurable healthcare outcomes.
“In just the first six months of 2025, revitalized primary healthcare facilities recorded more than 80 million visits through SWAp — a fourfold increase from the same period in 2023,” Pate said.
He added that Nigeria’s growing investment in local pharmaceutical manufacturing was creating jobs, adding economic value, and strengthening the foundation for sustainable health service delivery.
According to him, by 2030, Nigeria aims to produce a significant share of essential health commodities domestically, thereby reducing import dependence and boosting the resilience of its national health supply chain.
Pate further noted that Nigeria’s multi-donor trust fund and enhanced partnerships were helping to align global funding with national objectives — an approach already yielding tangible results across the health system.
“For the first time, development assistance aligns with Nigeria’s own goals, not the other way around. That’s how reforms move from boardrooms to real impact for people,” he stated.
He said these reform efforts were anchored in President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which places health at the heart of national development and inclusive economic growth.
In his remarks, WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, commended Nigeria’s leadership and reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to supporting the country’s health transformation, in collaboration with Gavi, the World Bank, and other partners.
Nigeria’s participation in the dialogue underscores its growing credibility and leadership in shaping future health systems and reform priorities across Africa and other low- and middle-income countries.
The discussions also opened opportunities for increased technical collaboration, expanded health financing, and deeper alignment toward achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and equitable healthcare access for all Nigerians.
The 2025 Annual Meetings additionally featured the launch of the Health Works Leaders Coalition, an initiative aimed at scaling health reforms to reach 1.5 billion people globally with quality healthcare by 2030.
