When the Gombe Health Summit 2025 convened on October 2-3 at the International Conference Centre, Gombe, it did more than assemble policymakers, donors and health experts. It became a forum where evidence met ambition and where a state redefined what subnational commitment to healthcare reform truly looks like.
The summit, themed “Transforming the Health System in Gombe State: Accomplishments, Challenges, and the Next Frontier,” was not a ritual of praise. It was a moment of stocktaking, one that exposed how far the state has come under Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON, and how courage, consistency and planning can change the trajectory of healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
At the heart of discussions was the Gombe State 10-Year Development Plan (DEVAGOM), the framework that has guided the state’s journey toward inclusive growth.
Health, being one of the plan’s strongest pillars, has received remarkable attention in policy, financing and implementation.
The summit’s communiqué, released at the end of the two-day event, documented what many health watchers already know: Gombe is steadily becoming a model for subnational health governance. The evidence speaks clearly.
Over the past few years, the Inuwa Yahaya administration has revitalized healthcare infrastructure across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels; implemented the Biometric Attendance Tracking Technology (BATT) system that rooted out 440 ghost workers and saved the state N4.5 billion; approved the long-awaited CONMESS and CONHESS salary structures; and established a School of Nursing Sciences to strengthen the health workforce pipeline.
Even more commendably, the Governor has sustained a 15 percent budgetary allocation to health, a rare feat among Nigerian states, while expanding health insurance coverage through the Gombe State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (GoHealth).
These interventions have translated into measurable improvements in maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) outcomes, greater accountability in health financing, and an overall rise in public confidence.
What makes the Gombe story compelling is not just its achievements but the honesty with which it confronts remaining challenges. The summit did not gloss over the issues, from the shortage of health workers in rural communities and weak health-seeking behavior to declining donor funding and limited local government commitment to primary healthcare financing. In the communiqué, participants acknowledged these gaps and urged stronger collaboration among stakeholders to sustain the gains and build resilience. That willingness to self-assess and course-correct reflects a culture of governance built on transparency, one that Nigeria urgently needs at scale.
Perhaps the most significant outcome of the summit lies in its forward-looking commitments. The Gombe State Government, according to the communiqué, pledged to:
* Sustain the 15% health sector allocation in future budgets;
* Fully implement the approved salary structures for all health workers;
* Strengthen demand-generation through community health workers;
* Leverage technology and data for evidence-based planning and improved service delivery;
* Establish a Health Trust Fund to mobilize domestic financing; and
* Engage Local Government Authorities to contribute to equity funds that expand insurance coverage for the poor and vulnerable.
These are not promises made for applause; they are actionable commitments grounded in strategy. In fact, Gombe’s approach, mainstreaming donor programmes into state-led interventions and aligning all partner efforts with its Annual Operational Plan (AOP) and DEVAGOM priorities, could very well serve as a national model for coordinated health governance.
As Nigeria continues to grapple with systemic challenges in healthcare, underfunding, brain drain, and fragmented service delivery, the Gombe example offers a glimmer of what’s possible when vision meets discipline.
Governor Inuwa Yahaya’s brand of leadership is pragmatic yet people-centred. His belief that health is not just a service but a catalyst for productivity and human capital development has redefined Gombe’s policy landscape.
The 2025 Health Summit may have ended, but its ripple effects will endure. The commitments captured in its communiqué are not mere bureaucratic pledges; they represent a renewed social contract between government and the governed, one where access, equity and accountability stand at the core of governance.
If Gombe can maintain this trajectory, it won’t just remain a model for the North-East; it will become a reference point for how state-level leadership can drive Nigeria closer to Universal Health Coverage.
In the words of Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, “Gombe has shown that good governance is the best form of public health intervention.”
That, perhaps, is the truest legacy of the Inuwa Yahaya administration, and the real message from the Gombe Health Summit 2025.
