Minister seeks sustainable funding to power healthcare facilities
June 16, 2026 11:12 am
Joseph Tegbe
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has called on local and international investors to embrace sustainable financing models for the electrification of Nigeria’s healthcare facilities.
The Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Power, Clement Ezeorah, in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, said that Tegbe made the call while speaking at the National Healthcare Electrification Investor Matchmaking Forum.
Ezeorah said that the forum was held under the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative in Lagos.
He said that the forum was convened by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in collaboration with UK PACT and hosted by the Minister of State for Health, Dr Isiaq Salako
Ezeorah also said that the forum brought together representatives of Federal and State Governments, Chief Medical Directors, Development Partners and Private Sector Leaders.
Tegbe described the power sector as one of the most compelling investments on the African continent.
He commended the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for convening the forum, noting that reliable electricity is not merely an infrastructure requirement but a fundamental pillar of healthcare delivery.
He said that he had been a key stakeholder in the NPHI since its inception, even before his appointment as minister, describing the initiative as a personal commitment and reaffirming his support to the Minister of State for Health.
According to him, the objectives of the NPHI align with the ongoing Power Sector Reforms and President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The minister noted that the initiative offered an opportunity to integrate energy planning into health infrastructure development, deploy grid enhancement and renewable hybrid systems tailored to health facilities.
“The initiative is also aimed at strengthening coordination between power sector institutions, health authorities, regulators, and private sector partners,” he said.
Tegbe said there were more than 35,000 registered health facilities across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels nationwide.
He said that this was a substantial pipeline of bankable projects capable of attracting local and international capital into solar mini-grids, hybrid energy systems, battery storage, as well as energy efficiency technologies.”
The minister told investors that the strength of the framework lies not in the ambition of its vision, but in the quality of its structure, assuring them that the Federal Government would provide commitment and inter-ministerial coordination.
He said that the Ministry of Power was a co-driver of the initiative and was already active in the field, having deployed solar mini-grids and hybrid systems to health facilities under the World Bank-funded Nigeria Electrification Project.
He noted that the Electricity Act provides the regulatory foundation for structuring Power Purchase Agreements, licensing mini-grid operators, and enabling state-level participation.
Tegbe said that the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, with a vision to position Nigeria as Africa’s destination of choice for quality healthcare.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to delivering visible, measurable improvements in the power sector, with health facilities as a priority, and expressed appreciation to investors and development partners for their continued belief in Nigeria’s future.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Isiaq Salako, described the NPHI as a shift from donor-funded infrastructure to a sustainable Energy-as-a-Service model.
He said that under NPHI, specialised providers finance, deploy and maintain reliable power systems for health facilities, addressing the energy poverty undermining operating theatres, cold chain systems, diagnostics and emergency care.
”Built on blended financing, institutional readiness and national scalability, the framework currently targets federal tertiary hospitals, with plans to extend nationwide across primary, secondary and tertiary facilities, backed by a new governance structure to drive implementation and unlock private investment in the sector.
NAN
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