In a major advancement towards enhancing the health sector in Nigeria, nine states have earmarked 15 percent or more of their respective budgets for healthcare in the 2026 appropriation Bill.
The 2026 Budget analysis released by Promad Foundation indicates that these states are Abia, Bauchi, Kaduna, Kano, Ogun, Kwara, Nasarawa, Oyo, and Taraba.
This initiative is viewed as a significant step toward achieving the 15 percent budget allocation goal established by African leaders under the Abuja Declaration.
The Abuja Declaration, signed in April 2001, represents a commitment by African Union members to allocate at least 15 percent of their annual national budgets to health in order to enhance healthcare systems across the continent.
Despite its historical importance, many countries, including Nigeria, have struggled to meet this target, with allocations remaining below 10% for more than two decades.
The federal government has allocated N2.48 trillion to the health sector in the 2026 budget, accounting for approximately 4.2 percent of the overall N58.47 trillion budget. In contrast, the ten sub-national entities have proposed a collective average of 15 percent for healthcare expenditure.
Nigeria is currently leading a new initiative focused on health sector reforms, aimed at restructuring healthcare systems, increasing domestic investments in the health sector, and improving the overall healthcare value chain.
Details on the budgetary allocations from the nine states reveal that Ogun has allocated 17%, Nasarawa 17.95%, Oyo 17.50%, Kwara 17.71%, Kano 16%, Abia 15%, Taraba 15.98%, and Bauchi 15.03%.
It is anticipated that the enhanced budget allocations will lead to considerable investments in healthcare infrastructure, improvements in personnel capacity, and better service delivery within the health sector.
The analysis by Promad Foundation also showed that the total combined budgets of all 36 state governments in Nigeria for 2026 will reach ₦36.98 trillion, which is a 45 percent increase from the ₦25.58 trillion reported for 2025 and a staggering 129 percent rise from the ₦16.15 trillion of 2024.
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