Health experts have called on the federal government to prioritize strengthening Nigeria's health care systems rather than merely reacting to diseases and health crises, warning that the current approach addresses the symptoms rather than the root causes of the country's health challenges.
Speaking at the ongoing Gatefield Health Summit 2025 in Abuja, experts from the public health and development sectors stressed the need for systemic resilience, better health governance and a shift from disease-based funding to sustainable systems-based financing. He cited weak funding and low life expectancy as key indicators of systemic failure.
Gatefield founder Adewunmi Amoruwa, speaking at the event, lamented the disparity in global life expectancy as evidence of Africa's health crisis. He said that while the average life expectancy in Nigeria is only 54 years, in Kenya it is 64 years, in Europe 81 years and in Hong Kong, 85 years, suggesting that “for a Nigerian, half his life has already been spent by the age of 25.”
According to him, “It is not just about when you die, but how well you live.” Emoruwa attributed this gap to structural deficiencies in food regulation, financing and health administration.
“In Nigeria, cerelac contains about seven grams of sugar, while in Europe it is zero. There is a lack of regulation in our food systems, and this directly leads to increased cases of hypertension and other preventable diseases,” he said.
He stressed that Nigeria's health care financing is worryingly low, with government health expenditure per citizen averaging only $5, compared to $66 in Kenya and $4,500 in Europe. “For every 2,500 Nigerians, the total expenditure on health care is equivalent to that of one Swiss citizen,” Amoruwa said. He said Africa must build its own health systems and increase domestic funding to close the gap.
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Speaking at the summit, Anthony Nawala, assistant chief program delivery officer of the Society for Family Health (SFH), described the country's health financing model as unsustainable despite recent policy reforms.
He said, “Nigeria should prioritize funding for health systems and structures rather than specific diseases. When you fund health systems, they will take care of the diseases.”
Nwala commended ongoing government reforms, including the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) and the Maternal Mortality Innovation and Reduction Strategy (MAMI), but stressed that “external donor funding is no longer where we should rely.
Nigeria must look inwards, innovate and reduce operating costs to make healthcare accessible and sustainable,” he said
On women's health, Aisha Mustapha, a consultant obstetrician and gynecologist at Ahmadu Bello University, warned that Nigeria is recording the highest maternal mortality rate in the world. They estimated that if current trends continue, gynecological cancers will increase by 77 percent by 2050.
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Emphasizing the need for vaccination, cancer screening and lifestyle changes to tackle the growing threat of obesity and non-communicable diseases, Mustafa urged both the government and citizens to take responsibility in building a resilient health future.
“It's not just the government; every stakeholder, including individuals, must play their role in spreading accurate health information and promoting preventive care,” he said.
