Nigeria has urged African nations to build stronger and more self-sufficient health systems to reduce reliance on external support, the country’s Vice-President said on Friday during the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU).
Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the summit, made the call on the sidelines of a high-level side event titled “Building Africa’s Health Security Sovereignty.”
He said the approach should focus on reducing vulnerability and fostering health systems capable of addressing emergencies and routine healthcare needs across the continent.
Shettima highlighted that health security sovereignty requires countries to strengthen their domestic health infrastructure, workforce and regulatory frameworks, the report said. He said this includes efforts to enhance pharmaceutical manufacturing, health financing and training of health professionals.
Nigeria pointed to its own health initiatives, including the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, launched in December 2023, which secured more than $2.2 billion in commitments for primary healthcare centre upgrades, frontline health worker training and expanded insurance coverage, according to the report.
The Vice-President also referenced efforts by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control to improve epidemic intelligence, genomic surveillance and regulatory oversight of medical products.
Officials at the event, including Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, reaffirmed commitments to strengthen health workforce capacity and address disparities in rural and urban health service delivery, the report said.
African health ministers at the forum emphasised the need for investment in human resources and community health systems.
At the conclusion of the side event, African Union ministers of health and finance set a continental target of training two million community health workers by 2030, and called for enhanced domestic financing and national plans to support community health systems.
