WHO calls for research-driven health financing in Nigeria

The World Health Organisation (WHO), has called on the Nigerian government to strengthen the use of research and evidence in designing health financing policies that can accelerate progress towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

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Robert Marten, Unit Head at Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, WHO made this known on Tuesday in Abuja at the ongoing National Health Financing Dialogue with the theme “Reimagining the Future of Health Financing in Nigeria.”

Mr Marten presented a paper on “Global Experience with Using Research and Evidence to Inform Policy”.

The dialogue, convened to establish a strong evidence base for increased and sustained financing, is expected to chart new pathways for private sector participation, sub-national financing, and stronger accountability frameworks in the health sector.

Health financing, Domestic solutions

Mr Marten said Nigeria faced peculiar challenges in health financing that required domestic solutions.

“We are interested in reframing health financing as an investment and mobilising domestic resources to achieve UHC here in Nigeria,” he said.

“This is not a unique goal as many countries are looking at it, but what is unique is Nigeria’s particular challenges.”

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He highlighted the urgent need to raise primary healthcare spending from $7 to $30 per person and to increase government health allocations from eight to 15 per cent of national expenditure.

He also stressed the importance of reducing out-of-pocket health spending by scaling up enrolment in the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

He stressed that while there is consensus on what needed to be done, the how remained unclear, which is where health policy and systems research is crucial.

Mr Marten cited global examples, including India’s rollout of the world’s largest tax-funded health insurance scheme, which now covered 500 million people, and reforms in countries such as Rwanda, Mexico, Ghana and Taiwan that had embedded research into policy cycles.

He said Nigeria could adapt lessons from those countries by prioritising local research capacity, fostering partnerships between policymakers and researchers, and institutionalising evidence-based decision-making.

According to him, reforms succeed when they are backed by credible local institutions, measurable quick wins, multisectoral collaboration, and sustained trust between government, academia, and development partners.
“This is a moment in time for Nigeria to step up. Global health financing commitments are shrinking, but Nigeria has world-class expertise and leadership,” he said.

Earlier in his remark, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, announced plans to enrol at least 44 million Nigerians into the National Health Insurance Scheme by 2030 as part of new measures to expand financial protection and reduce out-of-pocket spending on healthcare.
Mr Salako said President Bola Tinubu has directed policies to strengthen domestic financing and protect vulnerable Nigerians.

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He noted that the President has continued to emphasise that a strong health system is vital for national growth and has therefore directed the implementation of several interconnected policies to achieve universal health coverage

“The government has consistently funded the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) and introduced emergency allocations to cushion the suspension of foreign aid.”
He added that the ministry is considering legislation to double BHCPF funding from one to two per cent of consolidated revenue, alongside efforts to enrol 44 million Nigerians into the National Health Insurance scheme by 2030.