Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra has called for greater investment in data integrity and digitisation as Nigeria pushes for sustainable health financing.

He stressed that accurate measurement of public sector spending is essential for progress.

Speaking virtually at the National Health Financing Dialogue in Abuja on Thursday, Mr Soludo noted that one of Nigeria’s biggest challenges is the absence of consolidated data on health expenditure across the federal, state, and local government levels.

“Data integrity is critical. If you can’t measure it, you cannot improve it. We do not even know how much the public sector truly spends on healthcare.

“Without accurate, digitised data, we cannot make informed improvements,” he said.

The governor identified active coordination among the three tiers of government as another barrier, stating that inefficiencies in public and private funding models undermine health outcomes.

However, he stressed that these challenges should be viewed as opportunities for reform.

Highlighting lessons from other African nations, he urged Nigeria to adopt best practices from countries such as Rwanda, which has achieved more than 90 per cent health insurance coverage, compared to less than 10 per cent in Nigeria.

“Africa must seize this opportunity. We can learn from each other’s practices. Rwanda shows us it is possible, and Nigeria must not lag,” he added.

He argued that greater reliance on domestic reforms, digitisation, and regional learning would reduce Nigeria’s dependence on medical tourism, where thousands of citizens spend billions of naira annually in India and other countries.

The governor reiterated his earlier call for smarter spending, improving efficiency rather than simply increasing expenditure, while aligning with federal priorities such as the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative.

The National Health Financing Dialogue brought together federal and state governments, legislators, development partners, and civil society to chart strategies for sustainable and accountable health financing.

(NAN)