The Federal Government is targeting 20,000 annual admissions into Nigerian medical schools within the next three years and plans to establish medical simulation centres across the country’s six geo-political zones.
The move is aimed at expanding the healthcare workforce amid persistent concerns over the migration of medical professionals.
Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, announced the plans on Sunday after receiving the report of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Medical Simulation Committee.
Alausa said the centres will provide world-class practical training for students in medical, dental, nursing, pharmacy, and other allied health professions, with the government targeting a further increase in medical school admissions to 20,000 annually within the next three years.
He said the scale of enrolment growth across healthcare programmes had made expanded practical training infrastructure a matter of urgency.
Nursing enrolment has risen from approximately 38,000 students three years ago to more than 120,000 across nursing schools in Nigeria, he said.
Admissions into pharmacy and dental schools have also doubled, he added, further increasing the number of healthcare trainees requiring access to practical facilities.
“
Today, I’m happy to report that we’re admitting almost 12,000 students primarily now. Our goal in the next three years will increase the number of annual medical student enrollment in medical school to about 20,000,”
he said.
On the simulation centres, Alausa commended the Medical Simulation Committee for its work in preparing the report and advancing plans for the proposed facilities.
“
I would like to thank the members of the committee that have worked so hard and assiduously to get us to this point in which we are now talking about building several simulation centres across the country to provide world-class training for our medical students, dental students, nursing students, pharmacy students and other allied healthcare professionals,
” he said.
The initiative is funded through TETFund and aligns with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which has identified expanding Nigeria’s healthcare workforce as a national priority.
Key professional and academic bodies were involved in the committee’s work, including representatives of the Medical and Dental Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, and the University of Abuja Medical School.
The committee was chaired by Dr. Wale Suleiman, whom the minister acknowledged for his leadership in bringing the report to completion.
The Federal Government has been expanding investments in medical education and healthcare training as it seeks to address infrastructure and workforce gaps in the sector.
In December 2024, the government announced plans to allocate N17 billion to 18 medical schools
for high-impact projects aimed at strengthening the training of doctors, dentists, pharmacists and nurses.
The intervention expanded in April 2025, when the government allocated N110 billion from TETFund
for the rehabilitation of medical schools in 18 institutions.
In May 2025, the government first announced plans to establish eight medical simulation centres nationwide, describing medical simulation as a key component of modern healthcare training.
The broader investment drive continued into 2026.
In July, Education Minister Maruf Tunji Alausa said the Federal Government had invested more than N1 trillion in tertiary education over two years, including programmes aimed at expanding specialised healthcare education and strengthening teaching and research capacity.
The proposed simulation centres also come as the Federal Government expands Nigeria’s capacity to train more medical professionals.
In February 2026, the government announced plans to establish an Armed Forces College of Medicine and Health Sciences, which is expected to strengthen military healthcare services and expand medical training capacity.
The Education Ministry said the proposed college would support the government’s plan to increase annual medical school admissions, which had risen from about 5,000 to nearly 10,000 at the time.
