The Federal Government of Nigeria has set out a series of ambitious healthcare targets to be achieved by 2031, including ensuring that at least 90 per cent of primary healthcare centres (PHCs) are functional and extending health insurance coverage to 40 per cent of the population. The plans were announced by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Nigeria Health Sector Joint Annual Review (JAR) in Abuja.
Key 2031 Healthcare Targets
Speaking at the event, Mr Salako outlined a broad reform agenda aimed at improving access to healthcare, strengthening financing and reducing preventable deaths. Central to the plan is the provision of quarterly funding to at least 17,600 PHCs through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), alongside the extension of maternal and newborn healthcare interventions to all 774 local government areas.
The government is also targeting a reduction in out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure to below 50 per cent by 2031. Out-of-pocket expenditure refers to the money patients pay directly for services such as consultations, medicines and treatment, rather than costs covered by insurance or other financing arrangements. Reducing this burden is seen as essential to making healthcare more affordable for ordinary Nigerians.
The proposed expansion of maternal and newborn services would be delivered through the Maternal and Newborn Mortality Reduction Innovation Initiative (MAMII), which focuses specifically on reducing deaths among pregnant women and newborns.
Progress Recorded Under Ongoing Reforms
Beyond the 2031 targets, Mr Salako reported notable progress under the current administration’s health sector reforms. Nearly eight million additional Nigerians have been enrolled in health insurance since the administration took office, including more than three million vulnerable people. The government is also directly supporting more than 8,000 PHCs, while over 3,000 facilities have attained Level 2 readiness, a measure of their capacity to provide essential healthcare services.
The minister also highlighted improvements in maternal and child health outcomes. Facility-reported maternal deaths declined by approximately 60 per cent compared with 2024, while facility-reported neonatal and under-five deaths fell by 22 per cent and 25 per cent respectively.
In the area of local pharmaceutical manufacturing, Mr Salako said the number of active pharmaceutical companies had increased by approximately 10 per cent. According to figures from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria’s pharmaceutical group and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the share of local production in the pharmaceutical market rose from 30 per cent in 2023 to 50 per cent in 2026.
New Policies and Data Initiatives
The minister announced that the government would unveil the National Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy 2026–2030 and updated task-shifting and task-sharing guidelines during the three-day review. These guidelines are intended to provide a framework for sharing appropriate healthcare responsibilities among different categories of trained health workers.
The review will also feature the presentation of the Nigeria Mini Demographic and Health Survey report, which is expected to provide additional evidence for assessing progress in healthcare delivery. Mr Salako stressed the importance of examining routine health facility data alongside survey findings to identify gaps and improve decision-making.
“Survey and routine data answer different questions, so we shall read them side by side; where they differ, we will treat that as an instruction to look deeper, not a reason to look away,” he said.
He added that the Joint Annual Review should move beyond discussion and produce specific commitments that government institutions and development partners would be required to implement. Resolutions should identify responsible agencies, individuals and partners, with clear timelines for incorporating agreed actions into the 2027 annual operational plans. The minister noted that 2027 would mark the final year of the current Health Sector Strategic Blueprint, making it necessary to assess achievements and address outstanding implementation gaps.
Reflecting on the theme of this year’s review, “Make the Data Count”, Mr Salako said it conveyed two meanings: every number must be dependable enough to steer by, and every number must be used to change a life. He added that health data should help authorities track patients throughout their care, from antenatal visits to delivery and childhood immunisation.
Calls for Accountability and Sustainable Financing
The Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health, Ipalibo Banigo, called for stronger accountability and sustainable financing to achieve the government’s healthcare targets. “With competing national priorities and declining external assistance, strengthening domestic resource mobilisation is no longer optional. It is imperative,” she said.
Ms Banigo said the legislature would continue to support healthcare reforms through appropriations and oversight, while ensuring that funds are released on time and used effectively to improve services, particularly for women, children and underserved communities.
Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Daju Kachollom, acknowledged that significant challenges remained despite progress in implementing health sector reforms. She noted that under-five and neonatal mortality rates remained far from the government’s targets, while shortages of health workers continued to affect service delivery across the country.
She also disclosed that only 22 per cent of public health events met the seven-day early response target during the review period, highlighting weaknesses in the country’s emergency preparedness and response system. The Permanent Secretary urged stakeholders to address implementation gaps and ensure that health investments translate into better services for Nigerians.
About the Joint Annual Review
The 2026 Joint Annual Review, held under the theme “Make the Data Count”, brings together federal and state government officials, development partners and other stakeholders to assess progress under the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative. The initiative is being implemented through the Sector-Wide Approach, which seeks to improve coordination, financing and accountability in healthcare delivery.
Mr Salako noted that all states and the Federal Capital Territory had conducted their own reviews, allowing the national meeting to draw on findings from different parts of the country. The three-day review is expected to identify remaining challenges and agree on priorities for 2027.
The targets come as Nigeria continues to grapple with inadequate healthcare financing, health worker shortages and unequal access to essential services, particularly in rural communities. The outcomes of the review are expected to shape the country’s approach to closing these gaps as it works toward its 2031 goals.
