The federal government of Nigeria has formed a 24-member Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC) tasked with advancing the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative (NPHI). This initiative aims to ensure that health facilities across the nation receive consistent and sustainable energy.
This program is designed to tackle the historical power challenges faced in hospitals throughout Nigeria, which have hindered efficient service delivery, driven up operational costs, and jeopardized patient safety.
During the inauguration ceremony in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziag Salako, noted that the IATC will establish the technical framework necessary to turn political resolutions into tangible outcomes in the healthcare sector.
The details of this development were disclosed in a statement released on Wednesday by Alaba Balogun, the Ministry’s Director of Information and Public Relations.
“The technical committee is responsible for executing the operational tasks,” Mr. Salako remarked. “Without a reliable energy supply, our healthcare facilities cannot function properly; from vaccine storage to emergency surgeries, each aspect is dependent on electricity,” he explained.
Furthermore, he emphasized that many critical procedures in operating theaters and labor rooms are reliant on stable power supply.
According to the statement, the NPHI was born out of a national stakeholders’ dialogue held in March 2025, which included various government agencies, development partners, and representatives from the private sector.
The discussions led to a communique that was subsequently endorsed by President Bola Tinubu, resulting in the formation of an Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee tasked with providing essential political oversight.
Mr. Salako indicated that the newly inaugurated technical committee is expected to facilitate coordination, uphold sustainability, and apply technical rigor to the program’s execution.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring that by the end of 2027, at least 30% of Nigeria’s health facilities will run on reliable and clean energy sources, including solar, gas-powered, and other renewable options.
The minister added that meeting this target will help reduce avoidable deaths, enhance maternal and child health results, and rebuild public trust in Nigeria’s healthcare system.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, who was represented by Permanent Secretary Mahmuda Mamman at the event, also highlighted the significance of this inauguration as a pivotal step towards integrating energy planning into the infrastructure of the health sector.
Mr. Adelabu mentioned that the Power Ministry has already implemented solar mini-grids and hybrid energy systems in several healthcare facilities through the World Bank-supported Nigeria Electrification Project. He assured continued technical and policy backing to guarantee the NPHI's success, noting that dependable power supply is vital for diagnostics, emergency care, and ensuring safe working environments for health professionals.
The co-chairs of the committee, Babatunde Ipaye and Owolabi Sunday, in their addresses, committed to exceeding expectations to establish energy as the foundational element of ongoing health sector reforms, particularly in primary healthcare revitalization and improving maternal and child health.
As part of its mandate, the IATC will devise a national action plan for electrifying healthcare facilities, evaluate project proposals, engage various stakeholders, perform technical assessments, and provide quarterly updates to the Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee.
Comments (0)
You must be logged in to comment.
Be the first to comment on this article!