The National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has convened a four-day National Health Financing Policy Dialogue in Abuja to chart a path towards sustainable and equitable funding for Nigeria’s health sector.
Speaking at the opening on Monday, NHIA Director-General, Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, said the meeting came at a critical moment as the country faces multiple transitions in health, financing, and demographics.
“The global health financing landscape is shifting. Reliance on donor funding is declining, while the burden of disease is rising. Nigeria must increasingly depend on domestic resources to achieve universal health coverage,” Ohiri said.
He outlined the country’s health financing challenges, including high out-of-pocket spending, weak financial protection, and poor coordination across federal, state, and local levels. According to him, addressing these gaps requires stronger accountability, private sector participation, and deeper sub-national involvement.
The policy dialogue will also build on commitments made at the World Health Assembly, where Nigeria joined other countries in pledging to boost domestic investment in health, reduce fragmentation, and strengthen systems for tracking health expenditure.
Dr. Ohiri stressed that the dialogue was not just a government exercise but a collective effort. “Achieving sustainable and equitable health financing will require collaboration between government, civil society, development partners, academia, and the private sector,” he said.
The meeting is expected to produce a roadmap with clear commitments to strengthen Nigeria’s health financing system.
