Nigeria has launched a digital platform to connect healthcare professionals in the diaspora with hospitals, medical schools and research institutions at home, as the Federal Government seeks to strengthen healthcare delivery through technology-enabled collaboration.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Advanced Health Programme Portal (NIDAH-P) will allow Nigerian doctors, nurses, pharmacists, medical researchers and other health professionals abroad to register their expertise online, while participating institutions upload their clinical, training and research needs for electronic matching.
Muhammad Ali Pate, coordinating minister of health and social welfare, said the initiative is part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative aimed at building a resilient, people-centred healthcare system.
Representing the minister, Daju Kachollom said the platform transforms the migration of healthcare professionals into an opportunity for national development by promoting “brain circulation” seen as the continued contribution of skilled professionals abroad through knowledge sharing, research, mentoring and specialist services.
The government, Pate said, does not intend to stop health professionals from working overseas, but to create structured opportunities for them to support healthcare delivery, medical education, research and institutional development in Nigeria.
The Diaspora Health Impact Initiative will commence on July 25, 2026, in partnership with the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission as part of activities marking National Diaspora Day 2026, Pate announced.
According to the minister, Nigerian health professionals overseas have long supported the country through medical missions, residency training, research partnerships and mentorship programmes, but lacked a central digital system to coordinate these contributions before the launch of NIDAH-P.
Iziaq Adekunle Salako, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, represented by Kachollom, said the platform would provide a transparent mechanism for matching diaspora expertise with institutional needs, supporting specialist medical care, residency training, collaborative research, mentorship and knowledge transfer.
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, chairperson and chief Executive officer of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, described the portal as a critical digital platform for strengthening collaboration between Nigerian health professionals abroad and healthcare institutions at home.
International partners including the World Health Organization, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Clinton Health Access Initiative endorsed the initiative, pledging technical support and institutional collaboration.
Nigeria has faced persistent shortages of doctors, nurses and specialists due to the migration of healthcare workers abroad. Officials said NIDAH-P adopts a technology-driven approach that enables remote contributions through virtual teaching, specialist consultations, collaborative research and short-term medical missions.
The government said the platform is expected to strengthen human capital development, expand access to specialist healthcare, improve medical training and reinforce institutional capacity through lasting partnerships with Nigeria’s global community of healthcare professionals.
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