The Federal Government has announced the mobilization of $2.2 billion in external financing to support the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative.
This development comes alongside President Bola Tinubu’s approval of the creation of the Sector-wide Coordinating Office-Programme Management Unit, which will be housed within the Office of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
According to The PUNCH, in a statement released on Friday and signed by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, it was highlighted that this initiative aims to “ensure efficient, transparent, and accountable management of external grants mobilized towards the implementation of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative.”
Titled ‘President Tinubu approves establishment of programme management unit for health sector renewal investment initiative,’ the statement elaborates that “so far, $2.2bn has been mobilized in external financing to catalyze the implementation of the NHSRII through financial commitments from various development partners.”
The newly established Sector-wide Coordinating Office-Programme Management Unit will report to a Steering Committee/Ministerial Oversight Committee chaired by the Minister.
This committee also includes the Minister of State, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, and relevant development partners.
Serving as the secretariat and delivery unit for the NHSRII, the SCO-PMU will be led by a national coordinator. Its responsibilities encompass programme management, monitoring and evaluation, engagement and supervision of Independent Verification Agents for NHSRII programmes, and fiduciary management, among others.
In line with these developments, President Tinubu has appointed Dr. Muntaqa Sadiq as the National Coordinator of the Sector-wide Coordinating Office-Programme Management Unit. Dr. Sadiq brings over 17 years of experience in public health, impact investing, investment banking, energy, and climate financing across various sectors.
Dr. Sadiq’s previous roles include Head of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Chief Executive Officer of the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria, Head of the Nigeria Energy Transition Office, and Private Sector Engagement Adviser at the World Bank.
He is currently pursuing a doctorate in public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and holds an M.Phil in Bioscience Enterprise from the University of Cambridge, as well as a medical science/MBBS degree from Imperial College, London.
The Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, unveiled on December 12, 2023, was developed following the National Council on Health’s adoption of the sector-wide policy in November 2023.
The Presidency has described it as “a bold and transformative initiative aimed at improving both population health outcomes and the country’s pool of human capital with the primary objectives of saving lives, minimizing physical and financial pains, and ensuring the health of all Nigerians.”
