Nigeria Unveils Bold Health Sector Reforms at BRICS Meeting, Reaffirms Commitment to Global Health Equity
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Salako, has reaffirmed the country’s commitment to tackling global health challenges through stronger cooperation, domestic reforms, and strategic investment.
Delivering the Nation’s Statement at the
15th BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting in Brasilia, Dr. Salako emphasized the importance of global solidarity in confronting the complex and interconnected threats facing public health systems including non-communicable diseases (NCDs), pandemics, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), climate change, and dwindling health funding.
“These challenges call for stronger South-South cooperation and global solidarity to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals and create a more equitable world,” Dr. Salako stated. “Nigeria is proud to be a BRICS partner and contributor to the new thinking needed in today’s changing health landscape.”
According to Alaba Balogun, Head of Information and Public Relations at the Ministry, the Minister underscored Nigeria’s Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, a cornerstone of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, with a focus on effective governance, equitable healthcare, healthcare value chain development, and health security.
He emphasized that digitalization, efficient spending, data-driven decisions, and cultural change are key themes driving progress, noting that Nigeria’s shift towards self-reliance involves boosting domestic resource mobilization, enhancing local pharmaceutical and diagnostic production, as well as strengthening primary healthcare through digital health tools and AI.
He added that notable achievements include Nigeria’s HPV vaccination campaign, which immunized over 14 million girls aged 9-14 by May 2025, a global record. Despite declining Official Development Assistance, Nigeria allocated $200 million in its 2025 budget to sustain AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria programs. The Minister also highlighted efforts to address social health determinants and reduce risk factors for non-communicable diseases.
Nigeria’s proactive stance includes hosting the next high-level ministerial conference on antimicrobial resistance in June 2026 in Abuja. Dr. Salako also invited deeper partnerships with BRICS nations on pharmaceutical innovation, biomedical research, phytomedicine development, and academic exchange programs.
“Our collective efforts will serve as an impetus to achieve SDG Goal 3 ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all without leaving anyone behind,” Dr. Salako concluded. “In the context of our shared humanity, we must act together. Humanity is one.”
The meeting, chaired by Brazil, underscored BRICS countries’ shared intent to build resilient, inclusive, and sustainable health systems amid global health uncertainties.
