Investments, research, policies, and innovations in Nigeria’s health sector must deliver measurable results and protect poor citizens financially, National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Director-General Kelechi Ohiri has said. Ohiri explained that health sector reforms must be judged by their impact on patients, including whether indigent citizens receive treatment without falling into poverty.

Speaking on Thursday at the Future of Health Conference 2026—themed “From Innovation to Impact: The Future of Health Is Now” and organised by Nigeria Health Watch—Ohiri said healthcare innovation must address real problems and reflect the needs of the people it is intended to serve, rather than focusing solely on new technologies or devices.

“The central question defining our convening today is really how can Nigeria as a country take the extraordinary innovations, investments, research and policies and create the required conditions to deliver measurable outcomes to that poor Nigerian,” he said. He added that success will be measured by practical outcomes, such as a woman recovering from an obstetric complication without falling into health poverty, rather than by talk.

Building a locally responsive health system

Ohiri stated that Nigeria needs to build a health system that responds to its own priorities, finances care sustainably, and translates innovation into better patient outcomes. He argued that the country must take greater responsibility for determining its healthcare priorities and developing solutions suited to local needs.

The disruption of the global health landscape has exposed the need for countries to adapt and decrease their reliance on external support, according to Ohiri. He noted that Nigeria anticipated some of these changes and responded with the Nigerian Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative. Reforming the sector requires an innovation ecosystem capable of testing new approaches, supporting research, and scaling solutions to address specific national challenges.

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To support research and evaluate new health technologies, the NHIA has committed to funding research focused on local problems and has financed five independent researchers through a competitive process supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Furthermore, the authority has established a process for assessing innovative drugs and health interventions to determine which will have the greatest impact on Nigerians.

Addressing complex disease burdens and existing solutions

Ohiri highlighted that Nigeria faces an increasingly complex disease burden, with infectious diseases and high maternal mortality persisting alongside a growing prevalence of non-communicable diseases. He noted that many poor individuals realise they are hypertensive only after their first stroke or discover they have diabetes when reaching end-stage renal disease, making healthcare innovation imperative.

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Vivianne Ihekweazu, managing director of Nigeria Health Watch, explained that the 11th edition of the conference shifts attention from discussing future innovations to examining existing solutions, their impact, and how they can reach more people. She emphasised that technologies like artificial intelligence must provide immediate solutions for patients who cannot afford to wait years for future developments. The conference will showcase approaches spanning maternal health, family planning, digital health, agriculture, and climate-resilient healthcare facilities.