Premium Times, Nigeria Health Watch, and The Punch to host webinar on investing in health financing reform
Premium Times, in collaboration with Nigeria Health Watch and The Punch newspaper, will on Wednesday, 29 October 2025, host a high-level webinar on sustainable health financing.
The webinar, themed “Investing in Health in a Limited Fiscal Space,” is a two-hour virtual event scheduled for 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (WAT).
It aims to sustain momentum around ongoing health financing reforms and advance practical strategies for building a self-sustaining health investment system in Nigeria.
Building on national health financing reforms
The webinar will consolidate key outcomes from the recently held National Health Financing Dialogue (NHFD), translating its technical recommendations into clear advocacy priorities for actors at federal, state, and local levels.
Nigeria stands at a pivotal moment in its quest to reform health financing.
Despite recent progress, public spending on health remains low, with out-of-pocket payments accounting for about 75 to 76 per cent of total health expenditure, one of the highest globally.
This situation continues to expose millions of Nigerians to catastrophic health costs and pushes vulnerable households deeper into poverty.
To address these systemic gaps, the federal government in 2023 launched the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), a reform anchored on a Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp).
The framework aims to consolidate fragmented health financing, improve accountability, and promote shared ownership of reforms between national and subnational authorities.
Shifting global aid and domestic responsibility
The event comes at a time when the global health funding landscape is shifting, following reductions in Official Development Assistance (ODA) and the introduction of new donor strategies such as the evolving “America First” Global Health Strategy.
These developments have redefined donor engagement in Africa and further highlighted the urgency for Nigeria to transition from aid dependency to a more resilient, domestically driven health financing model.
Across the continent, initiatives such as the Africa Health Sovereignty Summit and the Accra Reset have sought to reframe health as a sovereign investment rather than charity.
In the same spirit, Nigeria’s NHFD marked a turning point, linking health financing to human capital development, economic growth, and the broader national investment agenda.
Focus areas and speakers
The webinar is expected to feature solution-driven panel discussions and an action-oriented closing session designed to generate concrete recommendations.
Discussions will centre on strengthening domestic resource mobilisation and budget efficiency, enhancing accountability and coordination under the SWAp framework, expanding health insurance coverage and risk-pooling mechanisms, and promoting the uptake of Health Technology Assessment (HTA).
The webinar will also explore ways to improve financing for mental health services and boost local manufacturing of essential medicines and diagnostics.
Expected speakers include Felix Obi, Country Director for Results for Development (R4D); Biobele Davidson, Head of Strengthening Health Systems at BudgIT Nigeria; and Mories Atoki, Chief Executive Officer of the African Business Coalition for Health (ABCHealth).
READ ALSO: SPECIAL REPORT: Hypertension surges among young Nigerians, defying age beliefs
About the conveners
Premium Times is a Nigerian online newspaper recognised for its investigative reporting and in-depth analysis on governance, human rights, and socio-economic issues. The organisation also operates a non-profit arm, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), which promotes data-driven journalism and media innovation across Africa.
The Punch, established in 1973, is one of Nigeria’s most widely read newspapers, recognised for its consistent coverage of national affairs, governance, and social issues.
Nigeria Health Watch is a communications and advocacy organisation that uses evidence-based storytelling to influence health policy and inspire solutions that strengthen the Nigerian health sector.