Nigeria Calls For Continental Investment In Digital Health
Kigali, Rwanda – October 16, 2025
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, has issued a clarion call for sustained and coordinated investment in digital health skills across Africa. Speaking at the 2025 Africa Health Tech Summit held at the Kigali Convention Centre in Rwanda, Dr. Salako emphasized that technology alone is not sufficient to address the continent’s pressing health challenges without the human capacity to effectively implement and manage it.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Salako underscored the urgent need to build resilient, inclusive, and future-ready healthcare systems by equipping health workers with the necessary digital competencies. “Digital tools cannot solve Africa’s healthcare problems in isolation,” he said. “It is trained professionals—those who understand and can apply these tools in local contexts—who will drive meaningful change.”
Highlighting Nigeria’s leadership in digital health, Dr. Salako shared insights into the country’s ongoing efforts under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. Nigeria, he noted, is pursuing a people-centered digital transformation through initiatives like the Nigeria Digital Health Strategy 2021–2025 and the Nigeria Digital in Health Initiative, both of which aim to strengthen the integration of technology in healthcare delivery and management.
In a bid to promote regional collaboration, Dr. Salako called on African governments and stakeholders to develop and adopt standardized digital health competencies across the continent. “We must work towards mutual recognition and accreditation of digital health qualifications to facilitate the mobility of skilled professionals across African borders,” he stated. This, he argued, would enable countries to address workforce gaps and foster innovation-driven health systems that are better prepared for future health emergencies.
The 2025 Africa Health Tech Summit brought together policymakers, technologists, healthcare professionals, and development partners from across the continent to explore opportunities for accelerating digital health transformation. Dr. Salako’s remarks were met with wide approval, with many participants echoing the need for a harmonized, continent-wide approach to building digital health capacity.
As African nations increasingly invest in health technologies—from telemedicine and electronic health records to AI-powered diagnostics—Dr. Salako’s call serves as a timely reminder that human capital development must remain at the center of the continent’s digital health agenda.
