The federal government has announced plans to enrol at least 44 million Nigerians into the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) by 2030 as part of efforts to expand financial protection and reduce out-of-pocket healthcare spending.
The announcement was made by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, on Monday during the opening of a four-day National Health Financing Policy Dialogue in Abuja.
The event, which runs until September 4, has brought together health officials, development partners, civil society organisations, and private sector representatives to formulate strategies for sustainable health financing in Nigeria.
Speaking at the dialogue, Mr. Salako said the government is implementing policies aimed at strengthening domestic health financing and protecting vulnerable populations.
“The government has consistently funded the Basic Health Care Provision Fund and introduced emergency allocations to cushion the suspension of foreign aid,” he said.
He added that the ministry is considering legislation to increase the Basic Health Care Provision Fund from one to two per cent of consolidated revenue and reiterated the target to enrol 44 million Nigerians in the NHIS by 2030.
“A key delivery of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare under the Presidential Performance Bond is to enrol at least 44 million Nigerians into the National Health Insurance by 2030, so that we can reduce out-of-pocket expenditure on health, which currently remains at about 70 per cent,” he said.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, highlighted challenges resulting from years of underinvestment in the health sector.
He said Nigeria currently spends approximately $120 per person on health, with two-thirds coming from out-of-pocket payments. Development partners contribute less than 10 per cent of total health expenditure.
“In reality, we were deluded to think that we can build a healthy nation on the back of somebody else’s taxpayer,” Mr. Pate said. “The illusion that people can get a quality healthcare system without paying for it is false. The country must invest efficiently, transparently, and with all of society engaged to save lives and reduce physical and financial pain.”
Mr. Pate outlined four pillars of the government’s reform agenda, which include strengthening governance and accountability, expanding population health outcomes through services and insurance, unlocking the health value chain to make commodities affordable, and enhancing resilience through health security. Digital transformation, he said, will underpin all these efforts.
The Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Kelechi Ohiri, said the dialogue reflects the shifting global health financing landscape, which is moving away from aid and increasing reliance on domestic resources.
“This dialogue is about people. People must be at the centre of the health system. People must be at the centre of what we’re financing,” he said.
He explained that the four-day event will feature sessions on civil society and community engagement, evidence-driven policy discussions, private sector financing, subnational government roles, and will conclude with high-level commitments involving the finance and planning ministries.
The dialogue is expected to generate concrete actions to expand financial protection, improve transparency in budgeting, reduce fragmentation, and involve government, private sector, and civil society in health financing.
