Nigeria reaffirms commitment to partner collaboration in health sector reform

Health, Politics

ABUJA, NIGERIA (NPA) — March 11, 2026 — Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening collaboration with development partners as part of ongoing efforts to accelerate healthcare delivery and improve health outcomes nationwide.

Speaking at the 2026 Health Development Partners Retreat, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Muhammad Ali Pate emphasized the need for stronger coordination, transparency, and alignment of partner investments with national health priorities. He noted that effective collaboration between government and partners remains critical to advancing Nigeria’s health sector reform agenda.

According to a statement from the Ministry, deliberations at the retreat focused on practical steps to improve coordination across federal, state, and local government levels, strengthen monitoring and evaluation systems, and ensure that partners deliver on commitments under the Health Sector Compact. Participants highlighted the importance of enhancing visibility of investment portfolios and improving communication mechanisms to support accountability and reduce fragmentation in programme implementation.

Stakeholders underscored the need to reinforce existing coordination platforms under the Sector‑Wide Approach (SWAp), identifying Technical Working Groups and other governance structures as key mechanisms for improving cross‑agency collaboration. Development partners reiterated their commitment to aligning investments, avoiding duplication, and ensuring that new initiatives are implemented in line with the principles of the compact.

The retreat also examined the implications of evolving fiscal and financing policies across government levels for the implementation of key health initiatives. Opportunities identified included strengthening monitoring systems through dashboards such as the Results Monitoring, Evaluation and Tracking (RMET) platform, advancing a Technical Assistance Pooled Fund, expanding health insurance coverage, and leveraging private sector participation to support service delivery.

The meeting concluded with a renewed pledge by the Federal Government and development partners to deepen collaboration, strengthen coordination mechanisms, and support Nigeria’s drive toward a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable health system.