The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate says President Bola Tinubu’s administration is committed to building a self-reliant and sustainable health system by embedding up-to-date technical know-how within government institutions at federal and state levels.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by international partners under the UNFPA/UNICEF Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH) Accelerator Initiative in Abuja on Monday, Prof. Pate emphasized that while donor support is greatly appreciated, Nigeria must transition to local ownership and domestic financing to sustain the gains made in maternal, newborn, and child health nationwide.
The Coordinating Minister further highlighted the Federal Government’s Sector-Wide Approach, which empowers states to develop and implement Annual Operational Plans aligned with national health priorities through a unified planning mechanism, enabling the Tinubu administration to ensure that all efforts—local and international—are coordinated, efficient, and directed at high-impact areas.
Professor Pate cited data showing that 172 local government areas account for over half of the country’s maternal and newborn deaths, stressing the need to focus resources strategically, while calling on partners not to create parallel systems but to fully align their support with existing government structures, including leveraging platforms like the Basic Health Care Provision Fund and Project Hope.
