FG Moves To End Power Crisis In Hospitals, Inaugurates Inter-Agency Technical Committee
For decades, unreliable electricity has quietly undermined healthcare delivery in Nigeria, disrupting surgeries, vaccine storage, emergency response and lifesaving interventions.
The Federal Government now says that the narrative must change.
In a decisive step towards strengthening the health system, the government has inaugurated a 24-member Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC) to drive the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative (NPHI), a flagship programme aimed at delivering reliable and sustainable electricity to health facilities nationwide.
Speaking at the inauguration in Abuja, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, described the initiative as a critical component of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s health and human capital development agenda.
He said the technical committee would translate political commitment into concrete results by ensuring coordination, technical rigour and sustainability.
According to the Minister, the NPHI targets powering at least 30 per cent of Nigeria’s health facilities with clean and uninterrupted energy by the end of 2027, using solar, gas-powered and other renewable solutions.
He stressed that without stable electricity, healthcare delivery, from surgeries and childbirth to diagnostics and vaccine preservation, cannot function effectively.
Dr Salako noted that the initiative evolved from a national stakeholders’ dialogue held in March 2025 and was strengthened by the establishment of an Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee, while the newly inaugurated IATC would serve as the engine room for implementation.
He added that the programme is central to reducing preventable deaths, improving maternal and child health outcomes, restoring public trust in the health system and curbing medical tourism.
The Minister also acknowledged the support of development partners, including the World Bank and the Global Fund, whose contributions he described as vital to scaling up the initiative.
On his part, the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Mahmuda Mamman, said the committee’s inauguration marked a major step in integrating energy planning into health infrastructure.
He disclosed that solar mini-grids and hybrid systems have already been deployed to several health facilities under the Nigeria Electrification Project, with assurances of continued support.
The co-chairs of the committee, Dr Babatunde Ipaye and Engineer Owolabi Sunday, pledged to deliver beyond expectations, ensuring that reliable energy becomes the foundation for ongoing health sector reforms, including primary healthcare revitalisation, maternal and child health programmes and cancer care.
As the IATC begins work, the initiative signals renewed hope for a health system where power failure no longer stands between Nigerians and quality healthcare.
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