FG okays framework to provide 24-hour electricity to health facilities

Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako. MHSW

The Federal Government on Tuesday approved a financing framework and a set of institutional reforms to accelerate the electrification of health facilities across the country, with a target of providing reliable 24-hour electricity to at least 30 per cent of Nigeria’s health facilities by the end of 2027.

The approval was granted at the third meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee of the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative, a presidential programme jointly coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Federal Ministry of Power to improve electricity access in public health institutions.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, who disclosed the outcome of the meeting, said the committee also endorsed new governance structures, approved a facility energy management framework and cleared eight private sector proposals for further engagement after they emerged from about 70 submissions received during the National Healthcare Electrification Investor Matchmaking Week held in Lagos.

He said the decisions marked a major step towards delivering uninterrupted electricity to hospitals through public-private partnerships. “This is progress with respect to the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative that was established by Mr President after the National Dialogue in December 2025. The Steering Committee considered the report of the Technical Committee and members were particularly happy with the progress made so far,” Salako said.

According to him, the committee approved a financing framework to mobilise investments for healthcare electrification and another framework on facility energy management to ensure participating hospitals establish systems for managing energy infrastructure sustainably.

He disclosed that Energy Management Teams had already been constituted in federal tertiary hospitals, while state governments had been encouraged to establish similar structures in their health facilities.  Salako further announced that the initiative would now be institutionalised through dedicated budgetary provisions and the establishment of a full-time Project Coordination Unit to oversee implementation.

“Our goal, as approved by Mr President, is to ensure that we deliver reliable energy access to at least 30 per cent of Nigeria’s health facilities by the end of 2027 using public-private partnerships that prioritise energy-as-a-service delivery models,” he said.

The minister explained that different energy technologies would be deployed based on the needs of individual facilities.

“There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Some facilities will use mini-grids, others may adopt gas-powered systems or other solutions. We will deploy whatever technology best suits each location,” he added.

Speaking on progress recorded since the initiative was inaugurated about eight months ago, Salako said governance structures had largely been put in place while electrification projects continued simultaneously across primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities.

He revealed that the Rural Electrification Agency had already installed containerised solar power systems in about 100 hospitals nationwide.

“We have used the eight months to build the governance structure. At the same time, electrification projects are ongoing at primary healthcare centres, secondary facilities through state governments and tertiary hospitals. The REA alone has energised about 100 hospitals nationwide,” he said.

Responding to questions on when power outages would become a thing of the past in tertiary hospitals, Salako said the initiative should be viewed as part of the Federal Government’s broader electricity sector reforms.

“What we should be asking is the timeline for eradicating blackouts from our country. That is a work in progress. But what Mr. President has done by democratising the energy provision space has created opportunities like this. We are confident that Nigeria will gradually eliminate blackouts,” he stated.

Also speaking, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, represented at the meeting by the Minister of State for Power, Joseph Tegbe, described the initiative as one of the Tinubu administration’s flagship programmes, saying attention would now shift from announcements to project delivery.

“Enough of groundbreaking and media events. We want to start commissioning projects. We want Nigerians to see teaching hospitals, state hospitals and primary healthcare centres that have been fully energised,” Tegbe said.

He stressed that dependable electricity would improve patient care and eliminate the frequent dependence on generators during medical emergencies. “I want us to stop this idea of rushing generators to hospitals during emergencies. That should become a thing of the past. Whatever resources are required, we will continue to prioritise this initiative while ensuring value for money,” he added.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Power, Mahmuda Mamman, said uninterrupted electricity was indispensable for powering critical medical equipment, preserving vaccines, supporting laboratories and strengthening emergency response systems.

He described the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative as a landmark collaboration involving the Federal Government, development partners and the private sector to address one of the biggest infrastructure challenges facing the health sector.