By Muhammad Amaan
Nigeria’s health sector reforms 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 is according to a statement released through the official X handle of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, @Fmohnigeria, confirming Nigeria’s presence and role at the event.
The Coordinating Minister, Professor Muhammad Pate, joined global health leaders including the WHO Director-General, World Bank President, and various Health Ministers, alongside heads of leading pharmaceutical companies.
The session aimed to strengthen collaboration on sustainable health system financing, local pharmaceutical production, and innovative partnerships to enhance primary healthcare service delivery across participating countries, including Nigeria.
Speaking at the session, Pate emphasised progress via Nigeria’s Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp), aligning government and donor investments with national priorities to deliver measurable improvements in healthcare outcomes.
“In just six months of 2025, revitalised primary healthcare facilities recorded more than 80 million visits through SWAp, a fourfold increase from the same period in 2023.
“Through local manufacturing partnerships, we’re creating jobs, adding economic value, and building a sustainable base for health delivery,” Pate added, highlighting broader economic and public health impacts of reform.
He added that by 2030, Nigeria aimed to produce a significant share of essential health commodities domestically, reducing import dependence and strengthening the resilience of its national health supply chain.
Prof. Pate noted that Nigeria’s multi-donor trust fund and improved partnerships were aligning global funding with national objectives, an approach now showing real impact across the country’s 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 remarked.
The minister said those health sector efforts were rooted in President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which placed health at the centre of national development and inclusive economic growth.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus hailed Nigeria’s leadership and reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to support the country’s health transformation, in partnership with Gavi, the World Bank, and other actors.
Nigeria’s participation in this high-level dialogue affirms its growing credibility and leadership in shaping future health systems and reform priorities across Africa and other low- and middle-income countries.
The discussions opened doors for increased technical collaboration, broader health financing, and deeper alignment toward achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and equitable healthcare access for all Nigerians.
The 2025 Annual Meetings also saw the launch of the Health Works Leaders Coalition, aiming to scale reforms and reach 1.5 billion people globally with quality healthcare by 2030.
