FG Moves to Accelerate Digital Health Transformation, Inaugurates Data Analytics Steering Committee
By Pan Afric Reporters
The Federal Government has stepped up efforts to accelerate Nigeria’s digital health transformation with the inauguration of a Steering Committee for the newly established National Health Technology and Data Analytics Office (NHTDAO).
The initiative is aimed at strengthening coordination, standardisation and integration of health technology and data systems to improve healthcare delivery, interoperability and evidence-based decision-making across the country.
The development was contained in a press release issued by Ado Bako, Assistant Director, Information and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, following the inaugural meeting of the NHTDAO Steering Committee held at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
Speaking at the inauguration, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, who spoke on behalf of the committee’s co-chairmen, said the establishment of the Office, approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would provide a central coordination mechanism for Nigeria’s digital health transformation.
Salako stressed that the NHTDAO was established to complement, rather than replace, the responsibilities of existing departments, agencies, programmes and initiatives within the health sector.
“The establishment of the Office, approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would provide an important coordination mechanism for accelerating Nigeria’s digital health transformation,” he said.
According to the Minister, the Office would promote greater collaboration and synergy among stakeholders while coordinating the implementation of Nigeria’s approved digital health architecture, which has already been endorsed by the National Council on Health.
He said the architecture would provide the foundation for moving digital health from policy and documentation to practical implementation and measurable impact across Nigeria’s health system.
Salako also identified digital health as a critical enabler of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), stressing that deeper penetration of digital technologies was essential to achieving the objectives of the ongoing health sector reforms.
He raised concerns over fragmentation among electronic medical record systems deployed in health facilities, noting that some systems were neither interconnected nor adequately standardised.
The Minister therefore called for the establishment and enforcement of minimum standards to ensure that digital solutions deployed by health facilities meet nationally agreed requirements.
“We need to address fragmentation among electronic medical record systems and establish and enforce minimum standards to ensure that digital solutions adopted by health facilities meet nationally agreed requirements,” Salako stated.
He urged members of the Steering Committee, government institutions and private-sector stakeholders to work collectively with the NHTDAO to strengthen Nigeria’s digital health ecosystem.
Salako expressed confidence that effective coordination of health technology and data systems would support the development of smarter health facilities, improve interoperability and contribute to more efficient and responsive healthcare delivery.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Daju Kachollom S. mni, said effective use of data analytics should go beyond the production of routine reports to enabling government anticipate health challenges, identify inequalities, allocate resources more intelligently and measure performance.
Kachollom called for an inclusive digital transformation that would reduce rather than deepen existing inequalities, particularly between urban and rural communities and other underserved populations.
She assured the committee of the Ministry’s commitment to providing the administrative and policy environment required for the NHTDAO to succeed, while urging relevant departments, agencies and programmes to work together and avoid unnecessary duplication.
The Permanent Secretary said the initiative was not merely about developing digital platforms and deploying technologies, but about building a modern, resilient and people-centred health system capable of responding to current and emerging health challenges.
She identified interoperability, cybersecurity, data protection, ethical use of artificial intelligence, data governance and patient confidentiality as critical areas requiring attention as digitalisation expands across the health sector.
“Increased digitalisation must be accompanied by measures that strengthen public confidence in the security and responsible use of health information,” Kachollom said.
Also speaking at the inauguration, Mr. Olaniyi Yusuf, who inaugurated the committee on behalf of the co-chairmen, expressed optimism that the NHTDAO would develop guidelines capable of promoting interoperability, adoption and scaling of digital health solutions while encouraging private investment in the sector.
Yusuf said the private sector had demonstrated its willingness to partner with government over the years, pledging his organisation’s readiness to mobilise Nigerian businesses to support and participate in the implementation of the national initiative.
“The private sector, for years, has demonstrated its willingness to partner with government,” Yusuf said, assuring of continued commitment to the success of the initiative.
The NHTDAO Steering Committee is co-chaired by Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate; Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako; and Olaniyi Yusuf.
Other members include the Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom; Director, Health Planning, Research and Statistics, Dr. John Ovuoreye; Dr. Oyebanji Filani, Commissioner for Health, Ekiti State; Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, Director-General, National Health Insurance Authority; Dr. Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq, National Coordinator, SWAp Office; Dr. Ekem Emmanuel James, Commissioner for Health, Akwa Ibom State; Dr. Haruna Buhari; Dr. Abdul Mukhtar, National Coordinator, PVAC; and Dr. Mohammad Lawal Gana, Commissioner for Health, Yobe State.
The inauguration marks a further step in the Federal Government’s effort to build an integrated digital health ecosystem in which technology, data and analytics can support improved planning, resource allocation, accountability and healthcare outcomes nationwide.
