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By Doris Obinna
Healthcare leaders, investors, and digital health innovators have challenged the federal government to move beyond policy rhetoric and embrace strategic partnerships, technology adoption, and sustainable healthcare financing to transform Nigeria’s struggling health sector.
The call was made at the 3-day 2026 World Health Expo (WHX) Lagos, held from June 2 to 4 under the theme “Transforming Healthcare Delivery Through Collaborative Innovation: Leveraging Partnership, Investment and Technology to Enhance Clinical Outcomes and Healthcare Efficiency”.
Stakeholders at the event stressed the urgent need to bridge healthcare access gaps, strengthen digital infrastructure, and create an enabling environment for innovation to thrive while delivering affordable care to millions of Nigerians.
Speaking at the expo, the Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Dr Jide Idris, urged governments, investors, and healthcare leaders to rethink how hospitals are funded and managed across Africa. He stressed that healthcare transformation should be measured by its impact on patient outcomes rather than the visibility of infrastructure projects.
Idris, in his keynote address, warned that investments in buildings, equipment, and digital platforms would achieve little without corresponding investments in workforce development, governance, maintenance systems, financing mechanisms, supply chains, and data-driven decision-making.
“It doesn’t work when people come in, build something, and then leave again” — Dr. Jide Idris, Director General, NCDC
He also called for interoperable digital systems, stronger procurement practices, and accountable partnerships capable of attracting domestic and international capital, insisting that technology and innovation can only succeed when backed by effective governance and sustainable financing.
The NCDC boss further lamented the fragmentation of Nigeria’s health information systems, noting that critical health data remain trapped in disconnected platforms that cannot communicate with one another. According to him, integrating these systems would improve disease surveillance, patient care, and overall health system efficiency.
He urged policymakers to view healthcare as a strategic economic asset, calling for greater investment in local pharmaceutical production, diagnostics, biomedical engineering, and regional supply chains to reduce dependence on imports and strengthen health security.
“The measure is better care. The legacy must be a stronger, safer and more resilient health system for our people,” Idris added.
Broader Ecosystem Contributions
Participants equally highlighted the need to expand health insurance coverage and reform healthcare financing, noting that millions of Nigerians still pay out-of-pocket for medical services. They advocated a shift towards purchasing healthcare services from qualified providers as a means of stimulating investment and improving access to quality care.
Also speaking, the Country Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Doctors Medical Aid Foundation, Dr. AbdulHameed Adediran, described the expo as a critical platform for public and private sector stakeholders to develop practical solutions for Nigeria’s healthcare challenges. He identified poor digital literacy and inadequate infrastructure—particularly unstable electricity supply—as major barriers to healthcare technology adoption and called for stronger collaboration across the digital health ecosystem.
On her part, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of MobiHealth International, Dr. Funmi Adewara, said Nigeria’s healthcare challenge was no longer a lack of solutions but the failure to implement them at scale. She noted that telemedicine is helping bridge healthcare access gaps, especially in underserved communities, but warned that fragmented healthcare systems continue to limit the impact of digital innovations.
“Transforming Nigeria’s healthcare system will require sustained collaboration among government agencies, private sector operators, innovators, investors and development partners,” Adewara added. “Technology alone cannot deliver better health outcomes without strong governance, strategic investment and disciplined execution.”
Government and private sector stakeholders at the expo also called for urgent reforms in regulatory frameworks to accelerate innovation in the health sector. They stressed that clear, predictable policies would encourage more investment in digital health solutions, hospital infrastructure, and local manufacturing, ultimately strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare value chain.
They further urged the Federal Government to prioritise long-term health sector funding, improve accountability in public health spending, and deepen public-private partnerships, noting that sustained political will and coordinated action remain critical to achieving universal, affordable, and efficient healthcare delivery in the country.
