The Federal Ministry of Health, in collaboration with state health ministries and partners, has launched a $2.2 billion Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) initiative and assured that it will transform Nigeria’s healthcare system.
The national coordinator of SWAp, Dr. Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq announced this during a media engagement in Abuja. He highlighted that this comprehensive strategy is designed to address chronic issues within the health sector, including inadequate financing, staff shortages, poor data management and insufficient infrastructure.
Umar-Sadiq emphasised that the SWAp initiative signifies a significant shift towards a more coordinated and efficient healthcare system, ensuring that every Nigerian, regardless of location or economic status, has access to quality healthcare services. He noted that this initiative comes in response to the alarming state of health in Nigeria, where maternal mortality rates remain among the highest in the world and other health indices reflect deep systemic issues.
One of the critical areas addressed by the SWAp initiative is the inadequate and inequitable financing of healthcare in Nigeria. Currently, only 3 per cent of the country’s GDP is allocated to healthcare, with just 40-60 per cent of the federal health budget being effectively utilised. The initiative aims to enhance transparency and efficiency in the allocation and utilization of these funds, directing resources toward priority areas to achieve measurable outcomes.
Nigeria’s significant shortage of healthcare professionals is another focus of the SWAp initiative. With only 23.3 doctors per 100,000 people—far below the WHO’s recommendation of 100 per 100,000—there is an urgent need to improve the distribution and availability of skilled healthcare workers across the country, particularly in underserved areas.
The reliability of health data in Nigeria has also been a concern, with discrepancies such as a 159.7 per cent DPT3 immunisation rate reported by Nigeria, compared to 55 per cent from WHO surveys. Additionally, Nigeria currently has only 0.5 hospital beds per 1,000 people, far below the WHO guideline of 4 per 1,000. The SWAp initiative prioritises the strengthening of data collection and health infrastructure, alongside its maintenance, to support informed decision-making and improve service delivery quality.
By 2027, the SWAp initiative aims to create a unified, transparent, and accountable health sector that operates as a coordinated unit across all levels of government. It will leverage the strengths of local and state governance alongside the ministry to develop the capacity to locally produce critical health products, such as mRNA vaccines, bed nets and select therapeutics. This not only ensures a reliable supply of essential medicines but also creates jobs and expands opportunities for the private sector and investors.
Furthermore, the initiative targets the consistent achievement of the 7-1-7 targets for health threat management, ensuring rapid detection and response to health emergencies, thereby safeguarding public health resilience. Health data will become credible, accessible, and actively used by both public and private sectors to better understand the health needs of Nigerians and guide policy decisions, enhancing the quality of interventions and attracting greater private sector investment in the country.
Ultimately, the SWAp initiative’s goal is to ensure that every Nigerian, regardless of economic status or location, has access to high-quality, life-saving care. This reflects the fundamental objectives of the initiative, which aim to improve overall productivity and quality of life in Nigeria.
Science Nigeria reports that the SWAp Coordination Office is responsible for the strategic planning, implementation, and oversight of the SWAp in Nigeria’s health sector. Working closely with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, states’ ministries of health, development partners and key stakeholders, the office ensures a coordinated effort to transform Nigeria’s healthcare system.
