The federal authorities, state authorities and growth companions have endorsed a brand new set of reforms geared toward strengthening accountability, bettering financing, and increasing major healthcare entry and well being supply throughout the nation.
This was introduced in a communiqué issued on Friday, and signed by the Federal Ministry of Well being and Social Welfare, following the conclusion of the 2025 Well being Sector–Extensive Joint Annual Evaluation held in Abuja.
The three-day annual discussion board which ran from 12-14 November marked the strongest demonstration but of Nigeria’s try to consolidate its Sector-Extensive Method (SWAp) anchored on “One Plan, One Price range, One Report, One Dialog.”
The assessment is geared toward evaluating the efficiency of the well being sector and information planning, budgeting and coordination. It assessed progress below the Nigeria Well being Sector Renewal Funding Initiative (NHSRII) and examined how each federal and state techniques are acting on the trail towards attaining Common Well being Protection (UHC).
Accountability framework on Compact enlargement
One of many main outcomes was the official signing of the UHC Compact Addendum, which expands the present Compact to incorporate the non-public sector actors, conventional establishments and different ministries.
In accordance with the communiqué, the addendum integrates rising well being sector priorities; responding to international well being financing shifts; and strengthening accountability by way of clearer ‘Ask-and-Provide’ frameworks.
Regardless of this progress, the assessment famous that operationalisation stays uneven, with fewer than half of states working useful coordination platforms and huge variations in alignment to the One Plan/One Price range system.
Maternal and neonatal mortality
Displays throughout the JAR highlighted early features recorded below the Maternal and New child Mortality Discount Innovation and Initiatives (MAMII), with as much as 17 per cent discount in maternal mortality in early-implementing LGAs and bettering developments in neonatal mortality throughout taking part states.
The communique indicated that the features are supported by rising Antenatal care protection and improved referral pathways.
Nevertheless, the evaluation uncovered persistent gaps with solely 32 per cent of emergency obstetric and new child care (CEmONC) accessed amenities assembly minimal readiness standards, and widespread shortages of blood proceed to undermine emergency response capability in a number of states.
Challenges undermining PHC’s performance
The communiqué highlights enhancements in major healthcare performance, together with higher 24-hour service availability, electrical energy reliability, and WASH requirements throughout a number of zones.
Nonetheless, vital weaknesses persist. Staffing deficits stay significantly acute in rural LGAs, and commodity stockouts proceed to erode service high quality regardless of expanded investments in PHC revitalisation and referral techniques.
A serious concern raised on the assembly is the sector’s mounting monetary vulnerability.
Whereas home financing by way of the Primary Well being Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) and state medical health insurance schemes has expanded, with over 2.4 million weak Nigerians enrolled, the assessment warns of rising dangers as a consequence of declining exterior funding and delayed funds releases.
Vaccine financing discussions additionally revealed the necessity for predictable authorities counterpart contributions and improved funds execution at federal and state ranges.
Launch of a number of digital instruments
On the excessive stage assembly, the federal authorities launched main nationwide information merchandise. They embrace: Knowledge Plans, Instruments & Experiences to strengthen information high quality, visibility and coordination; Nationwide CEmONC Facility Readiness Evaluation Report, offering Nigeria’s most complete analysis of emergency obstetric and new child capability; and Local weather & Well being Nationwide Adaptation Plan, advancing resilience towards climate-driven well being dangers.
Others are Second Nationwide Motion Plan for Well being Safety (NAPHS-2), strengthening outbreak preparedness and response; N-CAS Technique, integrating campaigns below “One Plan, One Marketing campaign, One Frontline”; and the Mini-DHS Framework, enabling annual, high-fidelity consequence measurement to trace progress towards NHSRII targets.
These instruments, the communiqué states, is a type of an built-in ecosystem that improves their planning, the allocation of sources, measures efficiency and finally the outcomes supply for Nigerians.
Native manufacturing
The assessment reported progress below the Presidential Worth Chain Initiative, with new MOUs signed with native producers and over 40 private-sector entities engaged in increasing pharmaceutical and diagnostics manufacturing of syringes, PPE and different chosen commodities.
Nevertheless, sustained industrial coverage, regulatory readability and assured demand mechanisms are wanted to transition not less than 20 precedence commodities to native manufacturing by 2026.
The communiqué additionally cited corruption and chronic points in BHCPF which incorporates ghost employees, irregular funds, double expenditures and weak fiscal monitoring and known as for stronger digital monetary techniques and routine audits.
To deal with these gaps, resolutions embrace adopting biometric verification throughout all PHCs and medical health insurance platforms, and rolling out digital expenditure monitoring to all BHCPF-supported amenities by Q3 2026.
On Sexual & Reproductive Well being Companies (SRHS), the communique acknowledged that progress in SRHS is clear with availability of enabling insurance policies and state-owned implementation platforms.
Nevertheless, facility readiness stays a vital bottleneck with 30 per cent of BHCPF amenities at the moment offering the entire suite of SRHS whereas 86 per cent of the assessed inhabitants continues to face entry boundaries.
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Resolutions
In step with worldwide commitments on donor coordination and the shift to supporting authorities priorities, the assembly resolved to strengthen stakeholder coordination for improved well being service supply, guaranteeing alignment with the commitments outlined within the Compact.
The assembly agreed on a number of precedence actions for 2026, together with: operationalising the UHC compact addendum by Q1 2026 with clear deliverables; biometric verification for PHC employees and insurance coverage beneficiaries to eradicate ghost employees; strengthening integrity techniques by way of digital expenditure monitoring throughout BHCPF amenities; and establishing a Nationwide Human Sources for Well being (HRH) programme and exploring new cadres of the long run workforce.
Others are bettering information high quality and use for motion; scaling MAMII nationally, closing financing gaps and strengthening emergency referral pathways; increasing medical health insurance to enrol 5 million Nigerians, together with a million weak individuals by end-2026; operationalising medipool and growing native manufacturing of precedence well being commodities; and strengthening DRF accountability and real-time PHC monetary administration techniques.
As well as, guaranteeing full state and LGA alignment with NHSRII priorities, particularly for CEmONC readiness and emergency response; and bettering entry to and high quality of SRHS by way of coverage domestication, sustainable financing.
The communiqué reaffirmed Nigeria’s dedication to fulfilling its vaccine financing obligations, strengthening state and LGA-level efficiency administration, and increasing stakeholders collaboration as a part of gaining mutual accountability and transparency from portfolio assessment.
