The federal government has inaugurated a 24-member Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC) to drive the implementation of the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative (NPHI), a programme aimed at providing reliable and sustainable electricity to health facilities nationwide.
The initiative seeks to address Nigeria’s long-standing electricity challenges in hospitals, which have disrupted service delivery, increased operating costs and endangered patient safety.
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Speaking at the inauguration on Tuesday in Abuja, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziag Salako, said the IATC would provide the technical backbone required to translate political commitment into measurable outcomes in the health sector.
This development was announced in a statement on Wednesday by the Ministry’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Alaba Balogun.
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“The technical committee is where the real work happens. “Without energy, our health facilities cannot function effectively, from vaccine storage to surgeries and emergency care,” Mr Salako was quoted as saying.
He added that procedures carried out in operating theatres and labour rooms also depend heavily on the availability of electricity.
More about NPHI
According to the statement, the NPHI emerged from a national stakeholders’ dialogue held in March 2025 involving government agencies, development partners and the private sector.
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The discussions culminated in a communique later approved by President Bola Tinubu, followed by the creation of an Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee to provide political oversight.
According to Mr Salako, the newly inaugurated technical committee would now ensure coordination, sustainability and technical rigour in the rollout of the programme.
He reaffirmed the government’s pledge that by the end of 2027, at least 30 per cent of Nigeria’s health facilities would operate on uninterrupted and clean energy, using solar, gas-powered and other renewable solutions.
The minister said achieving the target would help reduce preventable deaths, improve maternal and child health outcomes, and restore public confidence in the health system.
Power ministry’s role
Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mahmuda Mamman, said the inauguration marked a decisive step towards integrating energy planning into health sector infrastructure.
Mr Adelabu said the power ministry had already deployed solar mini-grids and hybrid energy systems to several health facilities under the World Bank-funded Nigeria Electrification Project.
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He pledged continued technical and policy support to ensure the success of the NPHI, noting that reliable electricity is fundamental to diagnostics, emergency services and safe working conditions for health professionals.
Committee mandate
In their remarks, the co-chairs of the committee, Babatunde Ipaye and Owolabi Sunday, pledged to exceed expectations and ensure that energy becomes the bedrock of success of ongoing health sector reforms, including primary healthcare revitalisation, maternal and child health.
Under its terms of reference, the IATC, according to Mr Salako, will develop a national action plan for electrifying health facilities, review project proposals, engage stakeholders, conduct technical analyses and submit quarterly reports to the Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee.
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