The Federal Government has launched the Nigeria Digital in Health Initiative (NDHI), a bold step to transform healthcare delivery by harnessing digital innovation, while aiming to make health services more accessible and equitable for all Nigerians.
Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, unveiled the initiative at the 5th Africa Digital Health Summit (ADHS 2025) held in Lagos. Themed “Strengthening Health Systems Through Digital Innovation, Data, and AI”, the summit brought together key players in health, tech and policy to advance digital transformation across Africa’s health sector.
“Health is a fundamental human right, and digital health solutions must prioritise equity, accessibility, and sustainability,” Dr Salako says during his keynote.
Salako underscores digital technology as a critical enabler of Nigeria’s healthcare reforms, positioning it as central to delivering universal health coverage, reducing financial barriers, and improving health outcomes.
The NDHI, he explains, is designed to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s healthcare agenda, while creating millions of jobs for Nigerian youth through standardised and interoperable digital health solutions.
“The initiative will create employment by leveraging the ingenuity of our young people, while ensuring that digital health systems are properly standardised and interoperable,” the Minister notes.
Salako underscores digital technology as a critical enabler of Nigeria’s healthcare reforms, positioning it as central to delivering universal health coverage, reducing financial barriers, and improving health outcomes.
During his address, he also praised Dr Niyi Osamiluyi, founder of Premier Medical Systems, for providing a homegrown platform showcasing innovative digital tools—including telemedicine, AI-powered diagnostics, electronic medical records, and mobile health applications.
Reaffirming the pivotal role of the private sector, Salako describes it as the “backbone” of Nigeria’s digital health evolution. He calls for greater participation from innovators and investors, while assuring government support through favourable policies and regulatory frameworks.
He also calls on Commissioners of Health and other state-level actors to align efforts for nationwide scalability and sustainable impact, noting that collaborative governance is key to unlocking the potential of digital health solutions across Nigeria.
Salako flags cybersecurity threats and patient data privacy as urgent challenges, warning of potential risks associated with digital health systems.
“We must robustly ringfence our digital health platforms from cyberattacks and protect patient data from misuse,” he warns.
To address infrastructure challenges, particularly electricity supply, Salako announces plans for a National Stakeholders Dialogue on Power in Health later this year. The dialogue, he said, will focus on building reliable energy solutions to support the digitalisation of health services across Nigeria.
Calling for sustained cooperation between public and private actors, Salako says Nigeria—and Africa more broadly—stands at a pivotal moment to harness secure and scalable digital innovations that can deliver impactful healthcare outcomes for future generations.
Home
