Preventable Blindness: FG Moves To Woo Private Investors As 24m Nigerians Face Vision Loss
The Federal Government has moved to woo private investors to transform eye care in Nigeria, as part of efforts to tackle preventable blindness affecting about 24 million Nigerians and strengthen the nation’s human capital and productivity.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, made the call in Abuja at a Public-Private Sector Roundtable on Eye Health themed, “GIFT of Sight: Mobilising Partnerships and Sustainable Funding towards Transforming Eye Care in Nigeria.”
Dr. Salako noted that eye health should no longer be viewed solely as a health-sector concern, noting that good vision is fundamental to education, workplace productivity, economic growth and national development. He observed that much of the vision loss burden in Nigeria is linked to preventable or treatable conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, uncorrected refractive errors and digital eye strain.
According to the Ministry’s Assistant Director of Information and Public Relations, Ado Bako, Salako urged businesses across banking, manufacturing, telecommunications, energy and other sectors to see investment in eye health as both a social responsibility and a strategic economic decision.
He called on the private sector to deploy innovative financing mechanisms, including blended finance, social impact funds, co-financing arrangements and concessional loans, to expand eye-care infrastructure and access to quality services.
The Minister also urged companies to channel Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) investments into structured national programmes such as school eye-health initiatives, rural surgical outreaches and permanent community-based eye-care centres, while encouraging telecommunications companies to leverage digital infrastructure to expand tele-ophthalmology, remote screening and mobile diagnostic services.
He further challenged Nigerian manufacturers to reduce dependence on imported eye-care products by investing in local production of spectacle frames, lenses, ophthalmic medicines and other essential consumables, stressing that domestic production would make commodities more affordable, create jobs and strengthen local supply chains.
Dr. Salako highlighted progress recorded through the JigiBola 2.0 initiative, noting that in just over one year, the programme, in partnership with stakeholders, has delivered more than two million free eye screenings, 1.5 million free spectacles, trained over 2,200 Primary Health Care workers, and activated more than 800 PHC centres to provide primary eye-care services across 16 states. He added that the next phase would extend services to more than one million Nigerians in an additional 10 states, while the Renewed Hope Health Connect initiative is targeting 25,000 free cataract surgeries by 2027.
The Minister commended existing private-sector interventions, particularly the longstanding partnership between First City Monument Bank (FCMB) and the Tulsi Chanrai Foundation, which has reached more than 400,000 Nigerians, urging other corporate organisations to replicate the model.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, to creating an enabling policy environment for sustainable public-private partnerships in eye health.
Dr. Salako called on development partners and civil society organisations to continue providing catalytic support, technical expertise and innovation while helping Nigeria transition from donor-dependent interventions to a locally financed, sustainable and accountable eye-health ecosystem, stressing that “a nation cannot march into economic prosperity if it is walking blind.”
In her opening remarks, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of FCMB, Mrs. Yemisi Edun, represented by Dr. Diron Olojo, said eye health was not merely a medical concern but a critical component of education, productivity, economic inclusion and human dignity.
She highlighted FCMB’s partnership with the Tulsi Chanrai Foundation through the Priceless Gift of Sight Initiative, launched in 2009, which had provided free eye-care services to more than 400,000 Nigerians by July 2024, reaffirming that the experience demonstrates the value of long-term partnerships.
The FCMB MD reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to expanding access to eye care and urged stakeholders to agree on three practical priorities: identifying communities and services with the greatest unmet needs; developing sustainable financing plans with clearly defined responsibilities; and establishing delivery timelines and measurable indicators for accountability.
In her presentation titled “The True Value of Vision – Transforming Health, Economy and Human Potential,” the National Coordinator, National Eye, Ear and Sensory Function Health Programme, Dr. Oteri Okolo, said the gathering was not merely to discuss public health interventions or clinical statistics, but to confront a fundamental pillar of human dignity and development.
Dr. Okolo said eye health has been embedded into the broader national health architecture, adding: “Our strategic focus has been guided by the National Eye Health Policy and Strategic Plan with Integrated People-Centered Eye Care (IPEC) as our strategy, ensuring that eye care is not an isolated specialty, but an essential component of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).”
The roundtable brought together government, healthcare providers, private-sector organisations, foundations and other stakeholders to strengthen collaboration towards a more accessible, equitable and sustainable eye-care system in Nigeria.
