The Federal Government has urged Nigerians and state governments to strengthen domestic health financing, saying sustainable healthcare delivery cannot depend on foreign taxpayers.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, made the call at the opening of the 2026 Joint Annual Review (JAR) in Abuja on Tuesday.

Pate said increased domestic resource mobilisation was essential to sustaining gains from ongoing health sector reforms and reducing dependence on external assistance.

“The illusion that you can have a healthy country on somebody else’s taxpayer, I think we should put it behind us.

“The only way forward is to mobilise, produce, execute domestic financing, and that is still work ahead for us,” he said.

He said the Federal Government was working to increase domestic health financing, adding that the memorandum of understanding with the United States government committed Nigeria to strengthening local funding.

According to him, the commitment is aimed at reducing the country’s dependence on external assistance by 2030.

Pate said legislative measures, including increasing the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) allocation to two per cent and reforms to sugar-sweetened beverage excise taxes, would expand available resources.

He said the reforms, initiated under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, were designed to address longstanding challenges of inadequate financing, fragmented governance and poor coordination.

Others included the unequal distribution of health workers and weaknesses in healthcare delivery, he said.

Pate said the government had adopted a national health systems approach, working with state and local governments, development partners and other stakeholders to align resources and priorities.

He said the approach was anchored on four pillars: strengthening governance, improving population health outcomes, unlocking healthcare value chains, and strengthening health security and resilience.

On financing, Pate said N249 billion had been disbursed to states through the four BHCPF gateways between 2023 and the third quarter of 2026.

He compared this with N74 billion cumulatively disbursed to primary healthcare facilities through direct facility financing in the 10 years preceding the administration.

On healthcare manufacturing, he said 10 factories or production lines had been commissioned, while pharmaceutical manufacturers received N24 billion in tax waivers between 2025 and 2026.

He added that 12 technology transfer agreements had been secured, with prospective investments valued at more than five billion dollars.

“Medipool is in place, which is the group purchasing organisation for the first time, not only here in Nigeria, but on the continent, that you have a major group purchasing organisation to mobilise and organise demand for what the federal government will buy,” he said.

On health security, Pate cited Nigeria’s response to the imported Ebola case as an example of the importance of preparedness and coordinated action.

He said the response by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), its incident management system and partners helped contain the case and prevent further transmission.

The minister, however, identified inadequate and unevenly distributed health workers, quality of care and financing as outstanding challenges requiring attention.

He said the government was working with professional associations to improve incentives for health workers, including remuneration, infrastructure and other working conditions.

Pate also said modernising federal tertiary hospitals, expanding health insurance coverage and accelerating digital transformation, including artificial intelligence applications, would feature in the next phase of reforms.

He commended state governments for their contributions, citing Jigawa’s regular health sector performance reviews and the timely completion of annual operational plans by Abia and Nasarawa.

He also acknowledged Kaduna’s accelerated primary healthcare revitalisation, as well as investments in rural emergency transportation by Kano and Katsina states.

Adamawa was also recognised for efforts to align development partners’ support with state priorities, he said.

“National ownership and international cooperation work together when roles are clear and results reach our people,” he said.

Earlier, Dr Iziaq Salako, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, said JAR provided an opportunity to assess implementation of the health sector compact and ensure commitments translated into measurable results.

Salako said the review was particularly important as it marked the final phase of the first cycle of the health sector renewal agenda.

This was ahead of 2027, the final year of the 2023–2027 Health Sector Strategic Blueprint, he said.

“JAR is therefore not a mere ceremony, but a working platform to measure performance against the compact, spotlight what works so that others can adopt it.

“It should end with clear resolutions assigned to MDAs, partners and responsible persons, with defined timelines for actions,” he said.

He said the theme of the review, “Together to Higher Ground: Make the Data Count”, underscored the need to ensure health data informed decisions and improved service delivery.

“Every number must be dependable enough to stand by, and every number must be used to change a life.

“It commits us that every data that we collect, store or track must be useful and actionable.

“A mother counted at antenatal visit should be counted at delivery, and a child counted at birth should be counted at every vaccination,” he said.

Salako said Nigeria had enrolled almost eight million additional people in health insurance under the administration, including more than three million vulnerable persons.

He added that more than 8,000 primary healthcare facilities had received direct support, while over 3,000 facilities had been improved to Level Two readiness.

He said facility-reported maternal deaths had declined, while neonatal and under-five deaths had also fallen by 22 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively.

Salako said the review would examine reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, food and drug regulation, emergency transportation and free maternal and newborn services.

“Other areas included health financing,” he said.

He said the review would also feature the inauguration of the Mini-Demographic and Health Survey report, the National Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy, and tax-shifting and tax-sharing guidelines.

Salako said the expected resolutions should identify responsible departments, agencies and partners, with timelines for implementation and integration into the 2027 Annual Operational Plans.

He said the administration’s longer-term targets included achieving at least 90 per cent functional primary healthcare centres by 2031.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the three-day JAR, which ends on Thursday, brings together federal and state governments, development partners, civil society organisations and private sector representatives.

The meeting provides a platform for stakeholders to assess health sector performance and review progress in implementing ongoing reforms.(NAN)

Edited by Abiemwense Moru