The Federal Government has approved a new financing plan and key reforms aimed at improving electricity supply in hospitals across Nigeria, with a target of providing reliable 24-hour power to at least 30 per cent of health facilities by the end of 2027.
The approval was reached during the third meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee on the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative, a programme jointly driven by the Federal Ministries of Health and Power to improve electricity access in public healthcare facilities.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, said the committee also approved new governance structures, a facility energy management framework and shortlisted eight private sector proposals for further engagement after reviewing about 70 submissions received during the National Healthcare Electrification Investor Matchmaking Week in Lagos.
According to him, the decisions represent another step toward ending unreliable power supply in hospitals through public-private partnerships.
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“The steering committee considered the report of the technical committee, and members were particularly happy with the progress made so far,” Salako said.
He explained that the financing framework is expected to attract investments for hospital electrification, while health facilities will establish Energy Management Teams to ensure energy systems are properly maintained. Similar structures, he added, have already been set up in federal tertiary hospitals, with state governments encouraged to follow suit.
Salako said the initiative would now receive dedicated budgetary support and be coordinated by a full-time Project Coordination Unit.
“Our goal… is to ensure that we deliver reliable energy access to at least 30 per cent of Nigeria’s health facilities by the end of 2027,” he stated.
He noted that different energy solutions, including solar mini-grids and gas-powered systems, would be deployed based on the needs of each health facility rather than adopting a single approach.
The minister also revealed that the Rural Electrification Agency has already installed containerised solar power systems in about 100 hospitals across the country, while electrification projects continue at primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities.
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Speaking on the initiative, Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe said the government was shifting its focus from policy announcements to visible results.
“Enough of groundbreaking and media events. We want to start commissioning projects. We want Nigerians to see teaching hospitals, state hospitals and primary healthcare centres that have been fully energised,” he said.
Tegbe added that dependable electricity would improve healthcare delivery by reducing hospitals’ dependence on generators during emergencies.
Nigeria’s public hospitals have long struggled with unstable electricity, forcing many facilities to spend huge sums on diesel to keep operating theatres, laboratories, intensive care units and vaccine storage systems running. The Nigeria Power for Health Initiative is expected to ease that burden while improving the quality of healthcare services nationwide.
