Tinubu: Nigeria Secures $2.2bn for Health Reform as AMCE Opens in Abuja
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday commissioned the African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE) in Abuja, describing the $400 million facility as a landmark of African innovation and a bold stride toward making Nigeria a global healthcare hub.
Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Tinubu revealed that Nigeria has secured over $2.2 billion in health sector funding through the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, launched in December 2023. The initiative aims to renovate over 17,000 primary health centres, train 120,000 frontline health workers, and double health insurance coverage within three years.
“This is not just about unveiling a structure—it’s about rejecting medical vulnerability as destiny,” the President said, highlighting reforms like the Executive Order and Presidential Initiative to Unlock the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), which have boosted local drug production, diagnostics, and regulation.
Developed by Afreximbank in partnership with King’s College Hospital, London, the AMCE will serve as a regional centre for advanced treatment, medical training, and research. It houses West Africa’s largest stem cell lab and will expand to include a teaching hospital, nursing school, and staff residences.
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Tinubu praised Afreximbank President Prof. Benedict Oramah for envisioning the project, saying it exemplifies African institutions solving African problems.
The President also emphasized infrastructure investment, noting that health facilities cannot function without roads, power, and connectivity. “A world-class hospital cannot run on a dirt road,” he said.
Finance Minister Wale Edun noted the facility, funded privately, positions Nigeria as “healthier and wealthier,” while Prof. Oramah said the hospital is a product of his personal health journey and a commitment to transform African healthcare.
British High Commissioner Richard Montgomery lauded the project, saying it could reverse medical tourism and draw international patients to Nigeria.
Dignitaries from across Africa and global health institutions attended the event, including officials from Tanzania, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and the Africa CDC.
