President Bola Tinubu has reiterated his administration’s commitment to providing excellent healthcare facilities for Nigerians.

He added that the administration would also continue to prioritise domestic and foreign direct investments in the sector.

The President said this at a meeting with the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export-Import Bank, Prof. Benedict Oramah,

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, said in a statement that Mr Oramah was accompanied by a delegation from King’s College Hospital, London.

Mr Tinubu welcomed the partnership between Afreximbank and KCH London to establish a first-rate healthcare facility in Abuja, called Africa Medical Centre of Excellence scheduled for completion in 2025.

He said, “We welcome this significant step towards investing in Nigeria’s healthcare sector. This facility is a great commitment to humanity. We are open and ready to assist this project in every way possible.

“Africa is in need, and Nigeria is committed to the need of its people. Putting people’s welfare first is putting healthcare first. The training and development of our people are our priorities. Out of every five black persons, one is a Nigerian. We are racing against time to meet our obligations to our people. This project will further strengthen our long-term vision for the healthcare of our people. We are determined to succeed, and whatever you need for us to achieve this project, I want to assure you, we will do it.’’

Mr Tinubu was recently appointed the African Union Champion for Human Resources for Health and Community Health Delivery Partnership.

The President emphasised that the continent cannot afford to remain behind in the quality and accessibility of its healthcare system.

He, therefore, asked Afreximbank not to relent on its commitment to investing in projects that would ensure that Africa possesses the expertise and resources to meet its own healthcare needs.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, explained that the bank and KCH were also collaborating on building a medical and nursing school alongside AMCE.

He said that this was in line with the administration’s commitment to expanding the training of healthcare professionals in the country.

“Your Excellency, you will recall that in October 2023, you approved an initiative to unlock Nigeria’s healthcare value chain and appointed a coordinator. We have worked in the last few months to identify various work streams.

”I am pleased to inform Your Excellency, that today, we signed an MOU with the President of Afreximbank for a $1 billion facility to finance a credit and equity contribution pool for private sector investors interested in investing in Nigeria’s health sector value chain,” he added.

The Nigerian-born President of the Bank, Mr Oramah, pledged the bank’s commitment to developing quality health infrastructure on the continent.

He also pledged a substantial contribution to the reduction of medical tourism out of Africa, promotion of intra-Africa trade, and creating jobs in the country and on the continent.

(NAN)