FG Seeks Stronger Private Sector Investment To Transform Eye Care<\/p>\n
The Federal Government has called for stronger and more strategic private-sector investment in eye health as part of efforts to reduce preventable blindness, improve productivity and strengthen Nigeria’s human capital.<\/p>\n
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, made the call at a Public-Private Sector Roundtable on Eye Health held in Abuja themed “GIFT of Sight: Mobilising Partnerships and Sustainable Funding towards Transforming Eye Care in Nigeria.”<\/p>\n
In a statement issued by Ado Bako, Assistant Director Information at the Ministry, Salako asserted that eye health should no longer be viewed solely as a health-sector concern, stressing that good vision is fundamental to education, workplace productivity, economic growth and national development.<\/p>\n
He noted that about 24 million Nigerians live with vision loss, much of which is linked to preventable or treatable conditions including cataracts, glaucoma, uncorrected refractive errors and digital eye strain.<\/p>\n
He therefore urged businesses across banking, manufacturing, telecommunications, energy and other sectors to recognise eye-health investment as both a social responsibility and a strategic economic decision.<\/p>\n
The Minister 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.<\/p>\n
He 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.<\/p>\n
He encouraged telecommunications companies to leverage digital infrastructure to expand tele-ophthalmology, remote screening and mobile diagnostic services.<\/p>\n
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, adding that stronger domestic production would make commodities more affordable, create jobs and strengthen local supply chains.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
He said the next phase would extend services to more than one million Nigerians in an additional 10 states, while the Renewed Hope Health Connect initiative targets 25,000 free cataract surgeries by 2027.<\/p>\n
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 over 400,000 Nigerians, and urged other corporate organisations to replicate the model.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Salako called on development partners and civil society organisations to continue providing catalytic support, technical expertise and innovation to help Nigeria transition from donor-dependent interventions to a locally financed and accountable eye-health ecosystem.<\/p>\n
“A nation cannot march into economic prosperity if it is walking blind,” he said.<\/p>\n
In her remarks, the Managing Director\/Chief Executive Officer of FCMB, Mrs. Yemisi Edun, represented by Dr. Diron Olojo, said eye health is not merely a medical concern but a critical component of education, productivity, economic inclusion and human dignity.<\/p>\n
She noted that preventable visual impairment continues to affect individuals and communities, stressing that gaps in awareness, skilled personnel, equipment and access must be addressed through sustained collaboration.<\/p>\n
Edun said FCMB’s partnership with the Tulsi Chanrai Foundation through the Priceless Gift of Sight Initiative, launched in 2009, had provided free eye-care services to over 400,000 Nigerians as of July 2024 through eye testing, optical services, surgeries and disease management.<\/p>\n
She reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to expanding access to eye care and urged stakeholders to agree on three priorities: identifying communities with the greatest unmet needs, developing sustainable financing plans with clearly defined responsibilities, and establishing delivery timelines and measurable indicators.<\/p>\n
In her presentation titled “The True Value of Vision – Transforming Health, Economy, and Human Potential,” National Coordinator of the National Eye, Ear and Sensory Function Health Programme, Dr. Oteri Okolo, said the roundtable was not just to discuss public health statistics but to confront a fundamental pillar of human dignity and development.<\/p>\n
She said eye health was for generations viewed as a secondary priority, relegated to the background in favour of acute diseases and maternal health, stressing that vision is not a luxury but the core window through which people learn, work and connect.<\/p>\n
Dr. Okolo said eye health has now been embedded into the broader national health architecture, guided by the National Eye Health Policy and Strategic Plan with Integrated People-Centered Eye Care (IPCEC) as strategy for Universal Health Coverage (UHC).<\/p>\n
In a goodwill message, Country Director of Sightsavers and Coordinator of the Eye Health NGOs Coalition, Prof. Joy Shuaibu, commended the National Eye, Ear and Sensory Function Health Programme for strategically engaging relevant actors, and called for focus on actionable solutions, innovative financing and scalable partnerships.<\/p>\n
Also speaking, Head of Vision Care for Development Foundation, Mimansa Shulala, said restoring sight is about restoring opportunity, dignity and productivity for underserved communities.<\/p>\n
She said through support from SIPCON, Sterling Oil and Tulsi Chanrai Foundation, the Foundation has screened over 17,000 people in underserved communities in the last two and a half years, identified over 3,000 individuals requiring intervention and facilitated more than 1,500 cataract surgeries, with over 1,000 surgeries done in partnership with TCF at its Calabar facility.<\/p>\n
She said the objective is to strengthen government systems, build local capacity and create a sustainable and scalable model, noting that when government provides leadership, the private sector provides resources and technical partners bring expertise, sustainable solutions are achieved.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FG Seeks Stronger Private Sector Investment To Transform Eye Care The Federal Government has called for stronger and more strategic private-sector investment in eye health as part of efforts to reduce preventable blindness, improve productivity and strengthen Nigeria’s human capital. The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, made the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[356,18,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-152658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-health","category-news","category-the-nation"],"yoast_head":"\n