Presidency tasks states to scale up domestic financing for healthcare

…says millions of Nigerians trapped in poverty yearly due to expensive healthcare

The Presidency has challenged Nigerian states to dramatically increase domestic funding for healthcare, warning that current allocations are insufficient to meet the country’s healthcare needs, especially amid dwindling donor support.

Salma Anas, Special Adviser to the President on Health, made the call, noting that current funding, including allocations to basic healthcare, remains inadequate.

Speaking in Abuja on Friday at the 9th Annual Health Conference themed “Domestic Resource Mobilisation in The Face of Dwindling Foreign Grants and Aid”, by the Association of Nigeria Health Journlists, Anas urged states to meet the 15 percent budgetary allocation to health, as stipulated in the annual budget declaration.

She expressed concerns that due to low public health funding, out-of- pocket expenses for healthcare remains high at over 70 percent, a situation pushing millions of Nigerians into poverty every year.

Read also: Nigeria faces vaccine shortage as funding staggers

Anas, emphasised that the bulk of Nigeria’s population resides in states, hence state government must do more to cater for their healthcare. “I want to seize this opportunity to encourage states to take ownership and do a radical approach in terms of deployment of our domestic resources to healthcare.

“We need the state to put in more resources, to scale up social health insurance scheme and the overall budget allocation. It is the state and local government levels that primary health care is delivered and where the financial need is felt most if long as they don’t provide it,” she urged.

Speaking further, Anas, emphasised that donor fatigue is real, and the inevitable graduation of Nigeria from various aid programs is approaching. She, however described it as an opportunity for Nigerian to boost domestic financing.

“The health and prosperity of our nation must no longer be predicated on external benevolence, but on robust domestic ownership and accountability,” she said.

She also assured that under the Renewed Hope Agenda, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in concert with the Legislature and other agencies are working to mobilise and increase funding to the health sector.

In his keynote address, Iziaq Salako, minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, represented by Babatunde Akinyemi, his Special Adviser, Health System Strenghthening, stated that government’s response to the dwindling donor support will be strategic, evidence-based, and audacious.

“First, we must accelerate domestic resource mobilisation with fiscal instruments that are sustainable and equitable. The BHCPF is a template for predictable financing and must be implemented with full transparency and rapid disbursement to the states and frontline primary health facilities,” the minister said.

He also informed that the ministry is actively diversifying financing sources by structuring public–private partnerships for vaccine logistics, laboratory networks, and innovative last-mile service delivery.

He added that goveenment is engaging domestic capital markets for health investment through social impact bonds and concessional financing blended with private capital; and exploring earmarked levies, implemented equitably.

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