The Federal Government of Nigeria is investing heavily in public health, allocating approximately N2.2 billion (about $150 million) annually to procure vaccines for routine immunisation programmes aimed at safeguarding children from preventable and life-threatening diseases.
This immunisation initiative is jointly funded by the Nigerian government and international partners, including the Gavi Vaccine Alliance, which plays a key role in improving vaccine access in developing nations.
In addition to vaccine procurement, the government has disbursed around N70.6 billion between 2023 and 2025 through the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund to Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the country. The funding is designed to enhance service delivery at the grassroots level and improve healthcare access for millions of Nigerians.
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) is also expanding its intervention programme, increasing the number of PHCs benefiting from the Health Care Provision Fund from 8,309 to 13,512. Of the planned 5,200 additional centres, 3,789 have already been identified, with coordination ongoing between federal, state, and local governments to ensure equitable distribution nationwide.
Dr Muyi Aina, Executive Director of NPHCDA, shared these updates during the first quarter 2026 media briefing in Abuja. He noted that implementation work has begun in more than 4,113 primary healthcare centres, with over 3,000 facilities already upgraded in terms of infrastructure.
Dr Aina also reported a significant rise in the utilisation of primary healthcare services. Attendance at PHCs increased from an average of 29 million per quarter in mid-2023 to about 46 million, with 45.4 million recorded in the fourth quarter of 2024, and even higher figures in 2025.
On disease control, he highlighted a 48 per cent decline in circulating variant poliovirus outbreaks between 2023 and 2025, crediting the improvement to strengthened immunisation coverage and sustained public health interventions.
These developments reflect Nigeria’s ongoing commitment to improving healthcare delivery and disease prevention, particularly for its most vulnerable populations.
