By Joy Odor Reportcircle News
Nigeria has signalled a decisive shift in its healthcare policy, declaring it will no longer rely heavily on foreign donors to fund the survival of its citizens as global health financing patterns begin to change.
At a high-level meeting in Abuja, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Adekunle Salako, said the country must assume primary responsibility for the wellbeing of its population.
He spoke while receiving the Spanish Ambassador to Nigeria, Felix Costales Artieda, alongside officials of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation on a diplomatic briefing visit to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in Abuja.
“We cannot be dependent on anybody for the health of our citizens. Government must be in the driver’s seat,” Salako declared.
The Minister said Nigeria is already worried about declining and changing global health funding patterns a development experts fear could disrupt disease control programmes across developing countries.
But instead of panic, the Federal Government is pivoting toward domestic ownership of healthcare financing and service delivery.
Officials described the move as a strategic response to protect the country from sudden donor withdrawal shocks.
Salako disclosed that the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu has begun implementing the National Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative a sweeping reform programme designed to rebuild the sector around four transformation pillars.
Central to the reform is the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain aimed at:
boosting local drug production
reducing import dependence
encouraging technology transfer
strengthening medical manufacturing
The meeting, he added, opens the door to reactivate the Nigeria-Spain 2022 health cooperation agreement, especially in technology transfer and industry development.
Free Treatment for Fistula Patients
In a humanitarian dimension of the reforms, the government revealed expanded specialised centres for obstetrics and gynaecology, including free treatment and reintegration support for women suffering obstetric fistula.
Officials say the programme is part of efforts to address neglected reproductive health challenges affecting vulnerable communities.
Speaking during the visit, AECID Director Anton Leis said Spain is already funding multiple health interventions in Nigeria, including joint programmes with UN agencies to combat female genital mutilation and eradicate polio.
He disclosed that about €1.1 million has been committed to health system efficiency and pharmaceutical sector development.
The agency is also working with Nigerian institutions including:
National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development
National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control
Leis praised Nigeria’s “sector-wide” approach one national plan and one coordinated health budget calling it fundamental for sustainable healthcare.
By the end of the meeting, both countries pledged stronger cooperation, but Nigeria made its position unmistakable:
Foreign support will remain welcome but control of public health must remain local.
For policymakers in Abuja, the era of donor-dependent healthcare is giving way to a sovereignty-driven system where Nigeria funds, produces and manages its own medical future.
