By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Federal Government has called for stronger public-private partnerships to unlock sustainable healthcare financing, accelerate local manufacturing and improve access to quality healthcare for Nigerians.
The call was made by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, on Tuesday, 28 July, 2026 at the opening ceremony of the FCMB Healthcare Summit 2026 in Lagos, where he explained that ongoing reforms had created an enabling environment for investment across the country’s health sector.
Salako urged financial institutions, investors and healthcare providers to partner with government in accelerating the transformation of Nigeria’s healthcare system, noting that reforms under the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, the National Health Insurance Authority Act, the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund and the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain were creating greater policy certainty and unlocking new opportunities for private investment.
Emphasising the importance of public-private collaboration, the minister explained that the government could not build Nigeria’s healthcare future on public financing alone, just as the private sector could not do so without the policy certainty, risk-sharing instruments and guaranteed demand that only the government could provide.
According to Salako, out of the N339 billion disbursed through the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund since inception, N235 billion had been released over the last three years under the current administration, with the most recent tranche of N32.9 billion currently supporting more than 8,300 primary healthcare centres nationwide as government expanded access to quality primary healthcare services.
He disclosed that health insurance enrolment had grown to over 22 million Nigerians, reflecting the continued implementation of the NHIA Act and the Federal Government’s efforts to reduce out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure through expanded financial protection and mandatory health insurance coverage.
On domestic production, the minister explained that initiatives under PVAC were accelerating local manufacturing of medicines, diagnostics and medical devices through targeted incentives, strategic procurement reforms and improved access to long-term financing.
He added that complementary reforms, including Medipool, were strengthening market confidence and creating a more enabling environment for local manufacturers.
Salako welcomed the launch of the FCMB Dedicated Healthcare Fund, describing it as a significant contribution to mobilising private capital for healthcare delivery and local manufacturing, while complementing existing financing initiatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Bank of Industry and other development finance institutions.
He urged investors and healthcare providers to strengthen corporate governance, leverage blended financing models, and prioritise investments that supported universal health coverage, local manufacturing and resilient health systems.
Reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening healthcare financing through sustained reforms and strategic public-private partnerships, Salako said the ministry would continue to implement policies that strengthened healthcare financing, expanded local manufacturing and built a resilient health system delivering better health outcomes for all Nigerians.
