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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Health & Science

Tinubu approves national health technology office, appoints pioneer coordinator

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement New plan
  • President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of the National Health Technology and Data Analytics Office (NHTDAO) in Nigeria.
  • The new office aims to coordinate the country's digital health agenda and will be housed within the Office of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
  • Dr. Obi Adigwe has been appointed as the pioneer National Coordinator for the office, which will be overseen by a steering committee.

President Bola Tinubu has given his approval for the creation of the National Health Technology and Data Analytics Office (NHTDAO), a move designed to centralize Nigeria's digital health strategy. This new agency will serve as a national platform for coordinating digital health initiatives across the country.

The office will be situated within the Office of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare. Its establishment is intended to reinforce, not replace, the statutory functions of existing health institutions. The NHTDAO will work to harmonize and empower public and private entities within the health system, setting standards and operationalizing the National Digital Health Architecture.

It will reinforce, not replace, the existing statutory functions of relevant departments and agencies. It will also harmonise and empower the public and private institutions across the health system, set the standards that connect them, and operationalise the National Digital Health Architecture, approved by the National Council on Health in November 2025.

— Presidency statementThe statement explained the role and function of the newly approved National Health Technology and Data Analytics Office.

Dr. Obi Adigwe, currently the Director-General of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, has been appointed as the pioneer National Coordinator of the NHTDAO. The office will operate under the guidance of a steering committee co-chaired by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and the Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Olaniyi Yusuf.

President Tinubu expects the NHTDAO to accelerate Nigeria's transition towards a secure, interoperable, and data-driven health system. The goal is to improve health outcomes for all citizens, aligning with the administration's "Renewed Hope Agenda."

The President expects NHTDAO to accelerate Nigeria’s transition to a secure, interoperable and data-driven health system that improves outcomes for all citizens, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration.

— Presidency statementThe statement outlined President Tinubu's expectations for the new health technology office.
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Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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