The Nigerian Government has called for increased private sector investment in healthcare electrification as part of efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery and improve health outcomes nationwide.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, made the appeal at the National Healthcare Electrification Investors Matchmaking Forum held in Lagos, under the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative (NPHI), a platform established to drive sustainable energy access in healthcare facilities across the country.
Dr. Salako emphasised that reliable electricity is critical to the effective functioning of healthcare institutions.
He noted that power supply is essential for surgeries, vaccine storage, diagnostics, oxygen delivery systems, digital health technologies, and emergency response services.
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According to him, “Electricity is not merely a utility in a healthcare facility. Like Human Resources for Health, it is a compulsory driver of the health system.”
He observed that many healthcare facilities continue to struggle with unreliable power supply, rising diesel costs, and frequent grid outages, all of which increase operational expenses and undermine service delivery.
He warned that these challenges have far-reaching consequences, reflected in compromised health outcomes, reduced service availability, and diminished public confidence in the health system.
The Minister explained that the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative was created to address these issues through a shift from traditional government- and donor-funded infrastructure projects to a private-sector-driven Energy-as-a-Service model.
Under this arrangement, specialised energy service providers will finance, deploy, operate, and maintain energy systems, allowing healthcare institutions to focus on delivering quality medical services.
Dr. Salako noted that while the initiative is currently focused on federal tertiary health institutions, it is designed to support primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare facilities in both the public and private sectors nationwide.
“A robust governance framework has been established to enhance transparency, accountability and investor confidence, including an Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee, an Inter-Agency Technical Committee and Facility Energy Management Teams within participating health institutions,” he stated.
Mobilise Financing
The Minister also highlighted efforts to mobilise financing through blended finance mechanisms involving government commitment, development finance, climate finance, concessional capital, and private investment to support large-scale deployment of healthcare energy solutions.
He commended the United Kingdom Partnership for Accelerating Climate Transition (UK PACT) and Landell Mills International for supporting the development of a national framework for healthcare electrification and sustainable energy access in the health sector.
Dr. Salako urged investors, commercial banks, development finance institutions, climate financiers, and energy developers to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the initiative.
He assired them of the Nigerian Government’s commitment to providing the necessary policy support and enabling environment for sustainable investments.
The Minister expressed confidence that strong collaboration between government, investors, and development partners would ensure reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy access for healthcare facilities across Nigeria, ultimately strengthening the health system and saving lives.
