Nigeria’s Health Priorities Align With BRICS Countries- Salako
Nigeria’s Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako has said that the health priorities of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu align with that of the BRICS Countries. He made this known at the 15th BRICS Health Ministers’ meeting on Tuesday June 17, 2025 which was held at the Itamaraty Palace, Brasilia Federal District, Brazil.
He said global health is currently faced with several interconnected challenges including rising incidences of non-communicable diseases, constant threat of pandemics, climate change, antimicrobial resistance, health system disparities, pollution, civil unrest, wars and shrinking funding ecosystem.
He noted that these challenges call for stronger South South cooperation and more global solidarity to share best practices and resources in order to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals and create a more equitable world.
He said Nigeria, a proud partner country of BRICS, is excited to be part of projects and processes designed to strengthen cooperation and synergy on global health. He said the lessons of COVID-19 pandemic have shown how interconnected our world is
“The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that “until everybody is safe, nobody is safe”. It brought to us more profoundly how interconnected our world is and how no country, however powerful can be an island unto itself. The world has learnt that in the face of our different economies and societies heavy reliance on international trade and travels, the doctrines of universal health coverage, health security and pandemic preparedness are a global agenda that transcends borders. This platform of BRICS Health Ministers therefore provides the opportunity for some of the most populous countries in the world to work together to address some of the most pressing health challenges facing humanity.”
He said Nigeria is implementing the “Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative” which is designed to operationalise the “Renewed Hope Agenda” of the President of the country which aligns with the health priorities of the BRICS nations.
“As BRICS nations, our health challenges are even more similar and the opportunity to learn from one another more plausible. In Nigeria, we are implementing the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative to operationalise the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President of the country. The initiative rests on 4 pillars of effective governance, efficient, equitable and quality health system, unlocking healthcare value chains and health security with digitalisation, data management, strategic financing, smarter spending and work culture transformation as cross cutting themes. These health priorities of my country aligns with BRICS priorities as shown by the core agenda for our discussion and the draft declaration for this meeting.
“Using the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, Nigeria is putting greater emphasis on domestic resources mobilization, increasing her capacity to produce pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and other critical health sector inputs. We are revitalizing our primary health care system, promoting pool procurement, developing our phytomedicine resources, expanding access to social health insurance, and upscaling the deployment of digital technology and AI.”
Salako said Nigeria is prioritizing health promotion and disease prevention.
“We have introduced HPV vaccine into our routine immunization schedule and as of May 2025 vaccinated over 14 million girls (9 -14 years old). In the process we set the record of the highest HPV vaccination in a single round globally. In our 2025 budget, we mobilized an additional 200m USD as our immediate response to dwindling ODA in order to sustain our AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Programme. We are also addressing the social determinants of health and introducing policies to reduce the modifiable risk factors of non-communicable diseases. Nigeria currently leads the implementation of PEN-PLUS in the Afro region to address some NCDs especially Sickle Cell Disease, Type I Diabetes, Rheumatic Heart Disease and Childhood Cancers. Nigeria is also hosting the next high level Ministerial conference on AMR expected to hold in June, 2026 in Abuja.”
He said Nigeria desires continued partnership and knowledge-sharing across the BRICS health community in order to collectively advance sustainable healthcare financing and ensure equitable access to quality healthcare for all.
“Nigeria welcomes opportunities to collaborate with BRICS countries on pharmaceutical and biomedical research on NCDs, phytomedicine development, and academic exchanges. We are also open to partnerships to strengthen our domestic capacities to produce drugs, medical devices and vaccines.”
Salako admonished BRICS nations that their collective efforts at addressing global health challenges would not only be complementary to various individual countries’ efforts but also act as impetus to ensure that SDG Goal 3 is collectively achieved without leaving anyone behind.
