Minister Seeks Long-Term Financing Framework for Healthcare Infrastructure

Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has urged local and international investors to embrace sustainable financing models for the electrification of Nigeria’s healthcare facilities, noting the sector as one of the most compelling investment opportunities on the African continent.

He made the call while delivering a speech at the National Healthcare Electrification Investor Matchmaking Forum, organised under the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative (NPHI) at the Lagos Civic Centre, Victoria Island.

The forum, hosted by the Minister of State for Health, Dr Isiaq Salako, was convened by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in partnership with UK PACT and brought together representatives of Federal and State Governments, Chief Medical Directors, Development Partners and Private Sector Leaders.

In his remarks, Tegbe lauded the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for calling the engagement, noting that reliable electricity is not merely an infrastructure requirement but a fundamental pillar of healthcare delivery.

He stated that he has been a key stakeholder in the NPHI since its inception, even before he was appointed Minister of Power, noting that it was a personal commitment and reaffirmed his support on the Honorable Minister of State (Health).

He said the NPHI objectives are in line with the ongoing Power Sector Reforms and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

He said the initiative provides an opportunity to integrate energy planning into the development of health infrastructure, to deploy grid reinforcement and renewable hybrid systems adapted to the needs of health facilities, and to strengthen coordination among institutions of the power sector, health authorities, regulators and private sector partners.

Minister Tegbe highlighted the scale of the opportunity by pointing to over 35,000 registered health facilities across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels nationwide, describing this as a substantial pipeline of bankable projects capable of attracting local and international capital into solar mini-grids, hybrid energy systems, battery storage, energy efficiency technologies, smart metering, facility energy management platforms, operations and maintenance services, and climate-resilient infrastructure.