Financing experts emphasized a stronger role for Nigeria’s private sector in transforming the health system during a recent webinar titled, “Investing in Health in a Limited Fiscal Space,” organized by Nigeria Health Watch with PUNCH Newspapers and Premium Times.
Dr. Mories Atoki, CEO of the African Business Coalition for Health, urged seeing health not just as a social good but as a strategic economic sector for deliberate investment. With fiscal constraints, she highlighted private sector opportunities like public-private partnerships, blended finance, health bonds, and impact investing that can de-risk ventures, finance local manufacturing, diagnostics, and digital infrastructure.
Drawing parallels with the energy sector, Atoki proposed outcome-based contracts that reward performance on health indicators like immunization and facility uptime, driving efficiency and accountability. She also called for innovation hubs and regulatory sandboxes to foster health tech startups and scalable digital solutions.
Dr. Felix Obi and Dr. Biobele Davidson underlined the importance of citizen engagement and digital tools like PHC Tracka to ensure transparency and effective use of the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund, which channels at least 1% of federal revenue to primary health care.
The dialogue underscored collective action between government, private sector, media, and civil society to build a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable Nigerian health financing system.
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