The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, has warned that global health gains remain fragile amid a “poly-crisis” of overlapping economic, political and technological shocks affecting countries worldwide.
Pate spoke on Monday in Abuja at the SPARK Transnational Research Boot Camp and Conference 2026, organized by the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) and the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Health Care Value Chain.
SPARK stands for Stanford Programme in Applied Research for Knowledge.
According to him, science and the scientific method remain “the fundamental path” to societal progress.
The minister noted that scientific inquiry had improved life expectancy, disease control and medical breakthroughs, but cautioned that weak research systems could reverse those gains.
Reflecting on the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, he said its disruption continued to shape global politics, economies and supply chains, with persistent structural imbalances.
He said Nigeria and Africa were undergoing demographic, epidemiological, technological and economic transitions, with non-communicable diseases now accounting for most illnesses and deaths.
“These shifts are occurring alongside rapid advances in biological sciences, computing and artificial intelligence that are transforming how we live and work,” he said.
Pate warned that poorly governed technology could fuel misinformation and anti-science sentiments, urging researchers to communicate evidence more effectively.
He highlighted Africa’s paradox of a population of about 1.4 billion but minimal research investment, saying the continent must end its long history of extraction of people, resources and data.
The minister linked SPARK’s work to Nigeria’s Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, which focuses on governance, service delivery, value-chain development and health security.
He said the government was shifting from faith-based policymaking to evidence-based programmes, with renewed investment in national research and clinical trials infrastructure.
Pate added that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Patron of the National Academy of Science, remained committed to advancing science and innovation in Nigeria.
Also speaking, Dr Abdu Mukhtar, National Coordinator of the Presidential Value Chain Accelerator (PVAC), said transnational research was critical to healthcare industrialization in Africa.
Mukhtar said Africa accounted for only two per cent of global research and development spending and must convert discoveries into life-saving products.
“Research must move from the bench to the bedside,” he said.
He announced that Nigeria would soon launch Africa’s first healthcare manufacturing academy to support innovation and production.
Mukhtar said the initiative was building an end-to-end ecosystem covering supply chains, micro-access systems and the financial mechanisms that support innovation.
Co-Director of SPARK at Stanford University, Prof. Kevin Grimes, said the programme helped academics advance innovations beyond publication by pairing them with experienced industry advisers.
He said Africa must set its own research agenda, stressing that genetic diversity affects drug response and must guide product development.
Earlier, the Director-General of NIPRD, Dr Obi Adigwe, said science was facing renewed hostility globally through funding cuts, misinformation and threats to researchers.
Adigwe said transnational research strengthened public trust by delivering tangible outcomes and commended national leadership for prioritizing evidence-based policies.
He said COVID-19 exposed the risks of reliance on external solutions and urged Africa to reclaim ownership of its scientific agenda.
Adigwe called for a coalition of policymakers, partners and scientists to protect science, support innovation and strengthen global preparedness.
It was reported that as the week-long boot camp continues, participants will receive hands-on training to accelerate the translation of African research into therapies, diagnostics and technologies.
