Grooming Africa’s next set of unicorns: Tinubu’s big agenda for health tech

Nigeria stands at a pivotal moment, with the potential to transcend merely strengthening its health system and instead become a hub for companies that commercialize Nigerian research, produce goods for African markets, attract investment, create skilled jobs, and retain greater economic value domestically. This approach positions health not just as a social expenditure but as a powerful engine for industrial development.

The global economic landscape is undergoing a significant transformation. While past leadership was often defined by natural resources, manufacturing, or information technology, a new source of advantage is emerging: the convergence of health, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, data, and digital technologies. These advancements are spawning new industries, drawing investment, and altering the competitive dynamics between nations. The implications extend far beyond healthcare, impacting scientific research, pharmaceutical development, advanced manufacturing, and public services.

Nations making strides in these areas are not necessarily those with the largest health budgets, but rather those that understand the critical role of sound governance alongside technological prowess. Discovery thrives in environments with reliable data, predictable regulations, and consistent policies, while transformative industries flourish where research, enterprise, and investment mutually reinforce each other. Nigeria is now at such a juncture.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's decision to establish the National Health Technology and Data Analytics Office signifies anticipatory statecraft. At a time when health technology, AI, and data are rapidly moving from the periphery to the center of economic strategy, this institutional platform empowers Nigeria to engage proactively with an economic frontier whose full significance is just beginning to unfold. The nation must now decide whether it will actively shape this future or remain primarily a consumer of technologies and products developed elsewhere.