The Federal Government has called for increased private sector investment in healthcare electrification to ensure reliable, affordable and sustainable energy supply across health facilities nationwide.
The call was made by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Adekunle Salako, at the National Healthcare Electrification Investor Matchmaking Forum held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, under the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative (NPHI).
According to a statement signed by the Assistant Director of Information at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Ado Bako, the forum brought together stakeholders from the health, power, finance, climate, development and private sectors to explore investment opportunities aimed at addressing energy poverty in Nigeria’s healthcare sector.
Salako said access to stable electricity is critical to improving healthcare delivery and achieving better health outcomes, noting that unreliable power supply continues to undermine essential services such as surgeries, vaccine storage, diagnostic operations, oxygen delivery systems, emergency response and digital health solutions.
“Electricity is not merely a utility but a fundamental driver of healthcare delivery,” he said, describing energy poverty as a major challenge to the Federal Government’s healthcare reform agenda.
The minister disclosed that the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative emerged from the National Stakeholders’ Dialogue on Power in the Health Sector and has been approved by President Bola Tinubu as the national platform for advancing healthcare electrification.
He explained that the initiative adopts a private-sector-led Energy-as-a-Service model, under which Energy Service Providers will finance, deploy, operate and maintain energy infrastructure, allowing healthcare institutions to focus on service delivery.
According to him, the model is designed to enhance accountability, ensure long term sustainability and provide investors with predictable revenue streams.
While the current phase focuses on federal tertiary health institutions, Salako said the programme is structured to support primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities across both public and private sectors nationwide.
To strengthen investor confidence, he highlighted the initiative’s governance framework, which includes an Inter Ministerial Steering Committee, a 24 member Inter Agency Technical Committee, Facility Energy Management Teams and a Project Secretariat within the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
He added that the initiative is pursuing a blended financing approach combining government support, development finance, climate finance, concessional funding and private capital to accelerate the deployment of sustainable energy solutions in healthcare facilities.
Salako commended the United Kingdom Partnership for Accelerating Climate Transition (UK PACT) and Landell Mills International for supporting the development of the initiative’s framework and implementation structure.
The minister urged commercial banks, development finance institutions, infrastructure funds, impact investors, climate financiers and energy developers to take advantage of investment opportunities under the initiative.
He noted that healthcare electrification presents opportunities at the intersection of health security, climate resilience, economic growth and sustainable infrastructure development, while reducing dependence on diesel powered electricity generation.
Describing the Investor Matchmaking Forum as the beginning of a platform where ideas can be converted into projects and investments, Salako called on stakeholders to move beyond discussions and embrace partnerships capable of delivering sustainable energy solutions across the country’s healthcare system.
He assured investors of the Federal Government’s commitment to providing the policy support and enabling environment needed to attract investment into the sector.
Salako expressed confidence that the initiative would help provide healthcare facilities across Nigeria with reliable and sustainable energy, strengthening the healthcare system and improving patient care.
