Nigeria needs ₦500 billion to scale digital health infrastructure over five years — Official

The federal government says Nigeria will require about ₦500 billion over the next five years to build the digital infrastructure needed to modernise healthcare delivery and achieve universal health coverage.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, disclosed this on Thursday at the opening of the 6th Africa Digital Health Summit (ADHS 2026) in Abuja.

Mr Salako said the investment would fund both capital and operational costs required to implement the country’s National Digital Health Architecture (NDHA), which is designed to integrate health information systems across the country.

He urged the **National Pension Commission **and Pension Fund Administrators to consider investing pension funds in digital healthcare infrastructure, noting that such investments would improve healthcare delivery while generating sustainable returns.

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“Our plan is costly, requiring an estimated investment of about ₦500 billion in capital and operational costs over the next five years,” he said.

Shift from pilot projects

Speaking on the summit’s theme, “From Pilot to Scale: Growing Africa’s Digital Health Innovation Ecosystem,” Mr Salako said Africa had witnessed numerous digital health pilot projects over the past decade, but many remained fragmented, donor-dependent, and failed to achieve nationwide impact.

He said Nigeria is now focused on moving beyond isolated projects towards country-owned digital health systems capable of serving every citizen.

According to him, digital health has become a key component of President Bola Tinubu’s Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, with several reforms already underway.

He noted that the National Council on Health approved the Nigeria Digital-in-Health Initiative in November 2024, leading to the development of the National Digital Health Architecture, which was endorsed by all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in June 2025.

The framework, he added, provides common standards for electronic health records, health worker and facility registries, and interoperability between health information systems. Progress in digital health

Progress in digital health

Mr Salako said an assessment of Nigeria’s 79 federal tertiary hospitals showed that electronic medical records had been adopted by an average of 74.5 per cent of the facilities.

He added that the Nigeria Health Worker Registry had been operational since 2020, while the government’s Open Logistics Management Information System now supports vaccine supply management across all 774 local government areas and 835 cold chain stores.

According to him, the system has reduced vaccine stock-outs and expiries through real-time monitoring and redistribution. He also said the federal government was rolling out an Electronic Immunisation Registry nationwide and upgrading its Integrated Human Resources Information System to improve interoperability and data management.

Major challenges remain

Despite the progress, Mr Salako acknowledged that significant barriers continue to hinder nationwide digital health implementation.

He said multiple donor-supported health information platforms still operate independently, making it difficult for healthcare providers to share patient information across facilities.

Mr Salako also cited poor infrastructure as a major obstacle, noting that 43 per cent of primary healthcare centres lack electricity entirely, while many others receive only a few hours of power daily. He added that about 60 per cent of rural primary healthcare facilities have no internet connectivity, limiting the deployment of digital services.

He further identified shortages of skilled digital health professionals and heavy reliance on donor funding as key constraints to long-term sustainability.

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Mr Salako called on state governments, development partners and private-sector organisations to align their investments with the National Digital Health Architecture rather than supporting isolated digital platforms.

He said states adopting the framework would benefit from financial incentives under the federal government’s HOPE Primary Healthcare Programme, which links funding to progress in digital health implementation.

Mr Salako also encouraged technology companies to work more closely with the government during the design of digital health solutions, saying interoperability and national standards would remain central to future investments.

He said Nigeria already possesses the policy framework and technical architecture needed to transform healthcare digitally, but sustained political commitment and domestic financing would determine whether the reforms succeed.