President Tinubu has announced the expansion of Nigeria’s primary healthcare funding framework to cover 13,500 facilities nationwide, building on the N98 billion already disbursed in 2025 to support over 8,300 centres.
Key Points
- The Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) disbursed over N98 billion in 2025, covering operational expenses for more than 8,300 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) across the country
- The funding framework is being expanded to accommodate an additional 5,212 facilities, bringing the total to over 13,500 PHCs
- Of existing centres, 2,565 have already been upgraded and 1,456 are currently under renovation, with upgraded facilities offering 24-hour services, essential medicines, stable power, and water supply
- Over 78,000 frontline health workers have been trained in two years against a four-year target of 120,000, covering doctors, nurses, midwives, and community health workers
- Health insurance coverage has been extended to over 10 million vulnerable individuals
Context
Tinubu made the announcement at the APC National Health Convention and Roundtable 1.0 in Abuja, describing the health sector as fundamental to national productivity, security, and economic growth. The administration has framed primary healthcare reform as a central pillar of its Renewed Hope Agenda, with grassroots health access positioned as both a development and governance priority. The government is also tracking maternal mortality through its MAMII initiative, which covers 172 high-burden local government areas and has linked more than 100,000 pregnant women to antenatal and delivery services.
Why It Matters
Nigeria’s primary healthcare system has historically been severely underfunded and understaffed, leaving tens of millions in rural and underserved communities without reliable access to basic medical care. The scale of this investment, described as one of the largest single-year injections into grassroots health services in recent memory, represents a meaningful shift in how the federal government is prioritising healthcare access. If sustained and effectively administered, the expansion to 13,500 funded centres could significantly reduce the burden of preventable disease and maternal mortality across a country of over 220 million people.
Source: Arise News
