Nigeria Launches Robust Accountability System to Drive Health Sector Reform
Nigeria has launched a robust accountability system to ensure transparency and effective management of its health sector, aiming to prevent corruption, mismanagement, and inefficiency in health resource utilization.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom, while presenting the Communique at the end of the 2025 Health Sector-Wide Joint Annual Review (JAR) in Abuja, stated that the event has set a new benchmark for driving Universal Health Coverage.
She highlighted that the Review marks a decisive step in accelerating implementation of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) and fast-tracking progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC), noting that for the first time, the JAR was preceded by state-level reviews, a development indicative of deepening national ownership of the SWAp principles of One Plan, One Budget, One Report and One Conversation.
The Review concluded with a resolve to among others, strengthen stakeholder coordination for improved health service delivery, ensuring alignment with the commitments outlined in the Compact signed with an addendum
Key resolutions taken at the meeting, held from November 12-14, 2025 with nearly 1,000 delegates from federal and state governments, development partners, private sector, civil society, and other stakeholders, include
*Operationalizing the UHC Compact Addendum by Q1 2026 through a co-created implementation framework with clear Ask-and-Offer commitments and a robust tracking mechanism.
*Adopting biometric verification across all PHCs and health-insurance platforms to eliminate ghost workers, strengthen attendance management, and enhance HRH transparency and performance, drawing from the Gombe model.
*Strengthening integrity, transparency, and fiduciary controls by rolling out digital expenditure-tracking and biometric attendance across all BHCPF-supported facilities by Q3 2026, supported by empowered oversight committees.
*Improving Data quality and use for action by implementing robust quality assessment plans, optimizing DHIS2, and strengthening data culture and management practices across levels
*Advancing HRH reforms by establishing a National HRH program, and exploring deployment of new cadres of the future health workforce aligned with Nigeria’s emerging service-delivery priorities and long-term economic ambitions including value chain optimization, regulation, and management.
*Accelerating and scaling the MAMII programme nationally; closing the financing gap through domestic resource mobilization and private sector resource pooling, strengthening SBBC and community engagement, and expanding to new LGAs guided by mini-DHS data, with full scale-up of MPCDSR and referral systems by Q4 2026.
*Improving access to and quality of SRH through policy domestication, sustainable financing, community engagement, and stakeholder collaboration. Specifically:
Domesticating and disseminating key policies (STOP, VAPP, TSTS, etc.) across remaining states by leveraging the Governors Forum, First Ladies Forum, and targeted sensitization of state health leaders, traditional and religious leaders, while also reviewing constitutional provisions to reinforce the fundamental right to life.
Integrating SRH (family planning, Post-abortion care) into maternal health service delivery at all levels. Urgently addressing family planning stockouts and strengthening sustainable SRH financing through a total market approach—leveraging the DRF for paying clients, ensuring full SRH coverage under BHCPF, and prioritizing vulnerable groups for free or subsidized services.
*Deploying CSOs to strengthen community awareness, shift harmful norms, and drive demand for SRH services, while addressing socio-economic determinants of maternal mortality—such as girls’ and women’s education—through coordinated multi-sectoral collaboration with relevant stakeholders;
*Deploying and scaling the PHC Financial Management System and exploring linkages with financial institutions to improve real-time visibility, and mitigate fiduciary risks.
*Expanding health insurance coverage and equity programmes by enforcing employer insurance mandates for all organizations engaging with government, scaling equity schemes, digitizing enrollment and claims, and enrolling 5 million Nigerians, including 1 million additional vulnerable persons, by end-2026.
*Advancing local manufacturing and supply-chain resilience by operationalizing Medipool, incentivizing private-sector investment, and transitioning at least 20 priority commodities to local production with five new manufacturing plants operational by 2026.
The Permanent Secretary who reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitmrnt to the full release of its counterpart for vaccines procurement and meeting its obligations in the revised accountability framework (AF 3.0), added that delivery systems at State and LGAs would be strengthened to improve readiness, responsiveness, and accountability in the following areas:
State-level resource mobilization, focal accountability, and performance tracking, ensuring LGA structures are fully aligned with NHSRII priorities.
Emergency response capacity, by scaling NEMSAS and RESMAT and ensuring all PHCs meet minimum readiness standards for CEmONC and timely referral.
Inter-agency collaboration across NPHCDA, NHIA, NCDC, NMEP, NAFDAC and other key actors to strengthen integrated service delivery and facility readiness, among others
The resolutions aim to enhance health service delivery, strengthen systems and improve the overall health outcomes of Nigerians
