The Gates Foundation has reaffirmed its commitment to the revitalisation of primary healthcare delivery in Nigeria, pledging continued support for the development and strengthening of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) nationwide.
The assurance was given by the Deputy Director, Health Systems Strengthening at Gates Foundation Nigeria, Dr. Nkata Chuku, during the PHC Leadership Challenge held in Abuja. The event was jointly organised by the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), the Gates Foundation and other development partners.
Dr. Chuku said the Foundation remains fully aligned with the Federal Government’s determination to revitalise primary healthcare as the backbone of Nigeria’s health system. The programme was supported by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and development partners, including UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
He disclosed that the 2025 health performance landscape, drawn from national surveys, high-frequency monitoring and administrative data, reflects both progress and persisting gaps across the country’s health system.
According to him, routine immunisation coverage has continued to improve, with national coverage now in the high 60 per cent range, while several states have exceeded 75 per cent, compared with the low 60 per cent recorded in 2022.
He said between July 2024 and October 2025, more than 500,000 previously zero-dose children were reached through house-to-house outreach and targeted immunisation activities. This, he noted, represents about 24 per cent of the estimated 2.1 million zero-dose children nationwide and reflects significant progress through integrated campaigns, including the October 2025 polio–routine immunisation drive.
Dr. Chuku also reported a sharp decline in circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVPV2) cases, which dropped from triple-digit figures in 2022–2023 to fewer than 50 confirmed cases in the past 12 months, alongside the closure of immunity gaps in historically underserved local government areas.
Speaking on the PHC Leadership Challenge, he explained that the initiative was designed to accelerate health system improvements. He disclosed that the Gates Foundation has invested $27 million in the programme over the past four years, with 70 per cent allocated to performance-based awards as a proof of concept.
“The current award structure, which recognises one national winner and first and second runners-up from each of the six geopolitical zones, reflects a deliberate strategy to promote peer accountability and healthy competition among states facing similar health-system realities,” he said.
He added that over the past three years, UNICEF, NPHCDA and the NGF Secretariat have worked closely with state commissioners, executive secretaries of State Primary Health Care Development Agencies and governors to track a focused set of indicators measuring PHC system performance across the 36 states and the FCT.
“These indicators focus on areas where state leadership is decisive, including political commitment, community empowerment, financial resource allocation, quality of care, monitoring and evaluation, and sustainable PHC financing,” he said, noting that these inputs are critical to improving outcomes in routine immunisation, maternal and child health, malaria and nutrition.
Dr. Chuku further observed that the PHC revitalisation agenda has renewed political commitment at the state level, with more states creating dedicated PHC budget lines, expanding health insurance enrolment and leveraging integrated polio–routine immunisation campaigns to close immunity gaps. He added that development partners have indicated interest in expanding incentive pools for high-performing states.
In his remarks, the Minister of Health, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, commended the Gates Foundation for its sustained investment in Nigeria’s PHC revitalisation efforts. He said the Federal Government has continued to intervene to reduce the cost of drugs and medical treatment, expand child health insurance coverage and increase budgetary allocation to the health sector.
“If we are going to achieve good health outcomes, we must recognise health as an investment, not an expense,” Pate said, adding that investing in health delivers long-term benefits for national development and future generations.
At the award ceremony, Yobe State emerged as the overall winner of the PHC Leadership Challenge after outperforming other states in an independently verified assessment. The state received a total prize of $1.2 million.
The assessment evaluated governance, financing, service delivery and accountability within state PHC systems. The annual challenge rewards measurable improvements in primary healthcare performance and is aimed at strengthening accountability, peer learning and sustained political commitment to PHC reforms across Nigeria.
