By Abubakar Yunusa
The Federal Government plans to invest an additional $3bn in Nigeria’s health sector by 2030 as the country prepares to end its reliance on United States health assistance, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, has said.
Pate disclosed this on Monday in Abuja while announcing the fifth Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance, scheduled for December 6 to 8, 2026.
He said the investment formed part of a transition arrangement under which Nigeria and the US would gradually withdraw from the existing funding arrangement, with Nigeria expected to take full responsibility for financing its health sector by 2030.
“From now until 2030, the expectation is that the Federal Government will put in $3bn into health, which is more than what the US government will contribute as it ramps down its contribution,” the minister said.
The plan follows a five-year bilateral health Memorandum of Understanding signed by Nigeria and the US on December 19, 2025, under the American government’s America First Global Health Strategy.
Pate said the move was driven by the need for Nigeria to take ownership of its health programmes rather than depend on foreign governments to finance critical services.
“Our position is that dependency in the long run is not in our national interest on external support,” he said.
“We articulated that we want Nigeria to exit from dependency from other entities over time.”
The minister said the US had supported Nigeria’s health programmes for about 25 years, particularly interventions targeting HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, which had benefited millions of Nigerians.
However, a shift in US policy in 2025 prompted the Federal Government to pursue a transition that would give Nigeria greater responsibility for financing its health programmes.
Pate said the arrangement was designed to ensure that Nigeria could sustain essential health interventions as American contributions declined.
“How do we own it responsibly? So, with the US government, we agreed that we will have a transition. By 2030, they exit and we exit. That means we fully fund our health sector,” he said.
He acknowledged that Nigeria was not yet financially equipped to fund the entire health sector independently, adding that sustained domestic investment would be required to achieve the target.
## FG Targets Higher Domestic Health Spending
Pate said President Bola Tinubu’s administration had increased domestic health allocations, including allocating six per cent of the government budget to the sector.
He, however, stressed that achieving sustainable health financing would require greater contributions from the federal, state and local governments.
The minister said 15 Nigerian government institutions, including the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, and Health and Social Welfare, participated in developing Nigeria’s position during negotiations with the US.
He added that the government intended to strengthen national ownership of health programmes and reduce the country’s exposure to changes in foreign funding priorities.
“We cannot rely on somebody else’s taxpayers funding for the health of Nigerians,” Pate said.
## Minister Defends Nigeria-US Health Agreement
Addressing concerns about the bilateral health agreement, Pate described it as a non-binding framework that operates within Nigeria’s national policies and laws.
He said the agreement did not undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty or the US government’s control over its resources.
“The MoU that was signed with the US government is a non-binding MoU. It is anchored on Nigerian policy, national policies and laws, does not subvert our sovereignty or subvert US government sovereignty over their resources.
“It’s also one that either party can walk away at any time,” he said.
Pate said the Attorney-General of the Federation had also confirmed that the agreement contained no provisions that undermined Nigeria’s national interest.
He added that members of the public could request a copy of the document from the ministry through the Freedom of Information process.
The minister said the agreement aligned with the government’s Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, which prioritises improved governance, stronger primary healthcare, expanded health insurance coverage, domestic production and health security.
He said the cooperation would support public health and laboratory capacity, particularly the detection of antimicrobial resistance, while encouraging local production of essential health commodities.
According to him, improving domestic manufacturing capacity and ensuring that local markets can supply essential medicines, including antimicrobials, are important to reducing dependence on foreign sources.
Pate said the transition would require sustained investment to ensure that Nigeria could finance its health priorities as external contributions declined.
The minister also announced that Nigeria would host the fifth Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance from December 6 to 8, 2026, marking the first time the event would take place on African soil.
The conference, themed “One Health: Advancing Global AMR Commitment through Local Action”, is expected to focus on translating international commitments into practical measures to tackle antimicrobial resistance.
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria and other microorganisms develop the ability to withstand medicines designed to kill them or stop their growth, making infections more difficult to treat.
Pate urged Nigerians to examine the provisions of the bilateral health agreement, insisting that the government’s objective was to strengthen domestic financing, improve service delivery and ensure long-term national ownership of the country’s health system.
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