FG approves new financing framework to power hospital...

The Federal Government has approved a new institutional and financing framework to accelerate the electrification of hospitals across Nigeria, in a major policy shift aimed at reducing healthcare infrastructure deficits, attracting private investment and guaranteeing uninterrupted power supply to health facilities nationwide.

The initiative is expected to drive investments into the health and energy sectors as the government targets reliable electricity for at least 30 per cent of Nigeria’s health facilities by the end of 2027 under the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative (NPHI).

The approval was granted at the third meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee (IMSC) of the NPHI, a presidential programme jointly coordinated by the Federal Ministries of Power and Health and Social Welfare.

The meeting, chaired by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Isiaq Salako, and co-chaired by the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, brought together senior government officials, development partners and members of the Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC), which presented the reform proposals.

Speaking at the meeting, Tegbe said the programme had moved beyond policy formulation and must now focus on implementation.

Describing the initiative as one of the flagship programmes of the Tinubu administration, he said attention should shift from project announcements to delivering completed electrification projects that would directly improve healthcare services.

He stressed the need to provide uninterrupted electricity to teaching hospitals, state hospitals and primary healthcare centres, noting that the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has already supplied reliable electricity to five federal teaching hospitals and several other healthcare facilities nationwide.

According to him, dependable electricity would eliminate hospitals’ heavy dependence on diesel-powered generators, improve healthcare delivery and enhance patient outcomes.

Tegbe pledged that the Ministry of Power would continue to prioritise funding for the programme while ensuring prudent utilisation of public resources.

Announcing the resolutions reached at the meeting, Salako said the Steering Committee approved a comprehensive financing framework to mobilise public and private investment for healthcare electrification.

He added that the committee also approved a facility energy management framework that will require participating hospitals to establish sustainable systems for managing electricity infrastructure.

According to him, the committee further cleared eight private-sector proposals for the next stage of engagement from approximately 70 submissions received during the National Healthcare Electrification Investor Matchmaking Week held in Lagos.

Salako disclosed that Energy Management Teams have already been established in federal tertiary hospitals, while state governments are being encouraged to establish similar structures to ensure sustainability.

He added that the initiative would now be institutionalised through dedicated budgetary allocations and the establishment of a full-time Project Coordination Unit responsible for overseeing implementation nationwide.

Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Power, Mahmud Mamman, said reliable electricity has become indispensable to modern healthcare delivery.

He noted that uninterrupted power is critical for operating life-saving medical equipment, preserving vaccines and medicines, supporting laboratory services and strengthening emergency healthcare systems.

Mamman described the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative as a landmark collaboration between government, development partners and private investors aimed at addressing one of the country’s most pressing healthcare infrastructure challenges.

He said the programme reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to positioning reliable electricity as a critical pillar of healthcare delivery under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

According to him, functional healthcare depends not only on qualified personnel and modern medical equipment but also on a stable electricity supply capable of keeping hospitals operational around the clock.