Oritsegbubemi Omatseyin
Lagos — The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring reliable, affordable and sustainable energy supply across healthcare facilities in Nigeria through strategic partnerships with the private sector, development finance institutions and investors.
Speaking at the National Healthcare Electrification Investor Matchmaking Forum held in Lagos, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, described healthcare electrification as a critical enabler of quality healthcare delivery and improved health outcomes.
The Forum, convened under the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative, NPHI, brought together stakeholders from the health, power, finance, climate, development and private sectors to explore investment opportunities aimed at addressing energy poverty in Nigeria’s health sector.
Dr. Salako noted that unreliable electricity supply continues to undermine healthcare service delivery across the country, affecting life-saving surgeries, vaccine preservation, diagnostic services, oxygen delivery systems, emergency response operations and digital health solutions.
According to the Minister, electricity is not merely a utility but a fundamental driver of healthcare delivery, stressing that energy poverty remains a major obstacle to ongoing reforms and the Federal Government’s healthcare transformation agenda.
He disclosed that the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative was established following the National Stakeholders’ Dialogue on Power in the Health Sector and has since been approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the national platform for driving healthcare electrification in Nigeria.
The Minister explained that the Initiative introduces a new approach to healthcare electrification by shifting from traditional government-funded and donor-driven asset deployment models to a sustainable, private-sector-led Energy-as-a-Service framework.
Under the model, specialized Energy Service Providers will finance, deploy, operate and maintain energy infrastructure while healthcare institutions focus on delivering quality healthcare services. The arrangement is expected to improve accountability, ensure long-term sustainability and provide investors with predictable revenue streams.
Dr. Salako further stated that although the current phase of implementation focuses on Federal Tertiary Health Institutions, the Initiative is designed to support primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities across both public and private sectors nationwide.
To strengthen investor confidence, he highlighted the robust governance framework established under the Initiative, including an Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee, a 24-member Inter-Agency Technical Committee, Facility Energy Management Teams and a dedicated Project Secretariat domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
The Minister also revealed that the Initiative is pursuing a blended financing strategy that combines government commitment, development finance, climate finance, concessional capital and private investment to facilitate large-scale deployment of sustainable energy solutions across healthcare facilities.
He commended the United Kingdom Partnership for Accelerating Climate Transition (UK PACT) and Landell Mills International for their support in developing the framework and implementation structure for the Initiative.
Dr. Salako called on commercial banks, development finance institutions, infrastructure funds, impact investors, climate financiers and energy developers to take advantage of the growing pipeline of healthcare electrification projects available under the Initiative.
He emphasized that healthcare electrification presents significant opportunities at the intersection of health security, climate resilience, economic growth and sustainable infrastructure development while reducing dependence on costly diesel-powered generation.
Describing the Investor Matchmaking Forum as “the beginning of a marketplace where ideas become projects, projects become investments and investments become reliable electricity for healthcare facilities,” the Minister urged participants to move beyond discussions and embrace practical partnerships that will deliver sustainable solutions at scale.
He reassured prospective investors of the Federal Government’s commitment to providing the necessary policy support and enabling environment required for successful investment in the sector.
“Together, we can build a future where every healthcare facility in Nigeria has access to reliable, affordable and sustainable energy. Together, we can strengthen our healthcare system and save lives,” the Minister stated.
