Federal Gov’t Reaffirms Commitment To Ethical Health Research

The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to strengthening ethical health research in the country, affirming that a robust and credible research environment is essential for national development and global scientific contribution.

Speaking at the 2026 Face-to-Face Meeting and Training Workshop of the National Health Research Ethics Committee (NHREC) held on Tuesday in Abuja, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq  Salako, commended the committee for its renewed drive to enhance ethical standards in health research across the country.

Dr. Salako noted that research ethics in the country received minimal attention in previous decades until the establishment of NHREC in 2005 and its formal empowerment under the National Health Act (NHA) 2014.

The Act mandates NHREC to oversee ethical approvals, set guidelines for research involving human subjects, and monitor studies to safeguard the rights, safety and wellbeing of participants.

The Minister commended the committee for beginning the year with a strategic work-planning session aimed at shaping Nigeria’s research landscape. He also expressed the Federal Government’s appreciation to development partners including the Gates Foundation, US-CDC, WHO/AVAREF, the MRCT Centre, and GARNET for supporting NHREC in strengthening ethical oversight and aligning Nigeria’s research environment with international standards.

Dr. Salako highlighted the significance of the ongoing Trial Regulation and Clinical Ethics Optimization (TRACE) project, describing it as an important platform for improving the rigour, integrity and safety of clinical trials in Nigeria. He assured that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare will continue to build on such initiatives to ensure a sustainable ethical research environment.

He further applauded NHREC’s digital transformation efforts through the redesign of its website and creation of an electronic portal for ethics review. According to him, the e-portal will improve data management, efficiency, stakeholder engagement and performance tracking.

The minister urged researchers, institutions, sub-national ethics committees and international collaborators to fully utilise the portal to strengthen research integrity and protect study participants.