By Mary Izuaka

 

The federal government has approved an institutional reform and financing framework to accelerate the electrification of health facilities across the country, in a bid to guarantee reliable, 24-hour power supply to hospitals.

The decision was taken on Wednesday at the third meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee (IMSC) of the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative (NPHI), a presidential programme jointly coordinated by the Federal Ministries of Power and Health and Social Welfare.

The initiative is targeting reliable electricity for at least 30 per cent of Nigeria’s health facilities by the end of 2027 that have long been hampered by erratic electricity supplies.

The meeting was chaired by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Isiaq Salako, and co-chaired by the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe. It drew top government officials, development partners and members of the Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC).

Speaking at the meeting, Mr Tegbe said the initiative must now move from policy pronouncements to actual project delivery.

Describing NPHI as one of the Tinubu administration’s flagship programmes, he said the emphasis should shift to commissioning completed projects that Nigerians can see, “rather than holding further groundbreaking ceremonies and engaging in public messaging.”

He stressed the need to fully energise teaching hospitals, state hospitals and primary healthcare centres, noting that the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has already electrified 5 Federal Teaching Hospitals and several other health facilities nationwide.

Mr Tegbe also linked dependable power to patient outcomes, arguing that it would end hospitals’ reliance on emergency generators. He pledged that the Ministry of Power would continue to prioritise funding for the initiative while ensuring value for money.

Disclosing the outcomes of the meeting, Mr Salako said the steering committee approved a financing framework to mobilise investment for healthcare electrification, alongside a facility energy management framework requiring participating hospitals to build sustainable systems for managing their energy infrastructure.

He said the committee also cleared eight private sector proposals for further engagement. He added that the proposals were selected from about 70 submissions received during the National Healthcare Electrification Investor Matchmaking Week held in Lagos.

Mr Salako noted that energy management teams are already in place at federal tertiary hospitals, while state governments are being encouraged to set up similar structures.

To institutionalise the programme, he said, the initiative will now have dedicated budgetary provisions and a full-time Project Coordination Unit to oversee implementation.

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Why power matters for healthcare

The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Power, Mahmud Mamman, said uninterrupted electricity is essential for powering critical medical equipment, preserving vaccines, supporting laboratories and strengthening emergency response systems.

He described NPHI as a landmark collaboration bringing together government, development partners and the private sector to tackle one of the health sector’s most pressing infrastructure gaps.

“The Nigeria Power for Health Initiative signals the federal government’s intent to treat reliable electricity as a pillar of healthcare delivery,” the statement said.

As NPHI moves from framework to project delivery, officials said it reflects the healthcare reforms under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, “where functional healthcare is defined not only by the personnel and equipment within it, but also by the power that keeps them running.”