Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, has called on federal and state governments to sustain investments and institutional reforms introduced under the World Bank-funded IMPACT Project to prevent the reversal of gains in immunisation, malaria control and primary healthcare delivery.
Pate made the call on Thursday, Nov. 12, at the project’s end-of-project dissemination and transition forum in Abuja, held as part of the 2026 Joint Annual Review of the health sector.
He said Nigeria’s health sector had undergone more than two decades of reforms, gradually shifting from investments focused mainly on infrastructure, equipment and procurement towards results-based financing that prioritises measurable improvements in health outcomes.
According to the minister, the IMPACT Project, approved in 2020 with $650 million in financing, helped strengthen this transition by linking healthcare investments to measurable results and supporting the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).
He said the challenge was now to preserve the project’s achievements and build on them through the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, the Sector-Wide Approach and the Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity (HOPE) programme.
Pate stressed that project completion should not be mistaken for the end of the reform process, calling for continued political commitment, accountability and cooperation among federal, state and local governments.
World Bank Country Director Matthew Verghis said the project demonstrated the benefits of sustained investment in primary healthcare and coordination across different levels of government.
He disclosed that health facility quality-of-care scores increased from 39.3 per cent to 50.2 per cent, while more than 2,600 primary healthcare facilities were upgraded.
The project also supported the procurement and distribution of more than 10 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets and transferred more than $20 million directly to primary healthcare facilities.
Verghis said approximately $170 million was invested in routine vaccine procurement over four years, helping Nigeria meet its domestic co-financing obligations and access vaccine financing.
More than 15,000 health workers were also engaged to address staffing gaps, while over 6,000 primary healthcare facilities received laptops.
He urged governments to integrate the project’s investments and lessons into stronger national health systems, warning that the gains would require continued funding and maintenance.
The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Muyi Aina, said 16.6 million children had been fully immunised, exceeding the project’s target of 9.3 million.
He said the proportion of fully immunised children aged 12 to 23 months increased from 31 per cent to 39.7 per cent, surpassing the target of 36 per cent.
Aina also reported that malaria prevalence declined from 22 per cent in 2021 to 15 per cent in 2025, while under-five mortality fell from 102 to 90 deaths per 1,000 live births.
He said more than 2,500 primary healthcare facilities had been upgraded to Level Two functionality across 30 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Other interventions included the financing of 200 million vaccine doses between 2023 and 2025, the provision of 3,144 solar direct-drive refrigerators and the distribution of 4.68 million long-lasting insecticidal nets.
Aina added that 5.8 million pregnant women received at least three doses of intermittent preventive treatment for malaria.
He urged state and local governments to take ownership of the facilities, equipment and other assets provided under the programme, emphasising that healthcare services must continue beyond the project’s closure.
The National Malaria Elimination Programme Coordinator, Dr. Nnenna Ogbulafor, said malaria prevalence declined from 27 per cent at the beginning of the project to 15.2 per cent.
She said the programme supported the development of the National Malaria Strategic Plan 2026–2030, strengthened malaria diagnosis and treatment, and facilitated the country’s 2025 Malaria Indicator Survey.
The National Programme Manager of the IMPACT Project, Dr. Amina Mohammed, disclosed that implementation began in February 2021 and expanded from 18 states to 30 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
She said the programme supported the training of 79,000 healthcare workers, established a vaccine storage hub in Lagos and helped increase the proportion of febrile children receiving artemisinin-based combination therapy from 8.1 per cent to 47.2 per cent.
Pate said subsequent reforms would build on the institutional structures established under IMPACT, including through additional development financing and partnerships with organisations such as the French Development Agency and the Global Fund.
The project, formally known as Immunisation Plus and Malaria Progress by Accelerating Coverage and Transforming Services, was designed to improve immunisation coverage, expand access to malaria interventions and reduce under-five mortality through investments in primary healthcare, vaccines, infrastructure and health systems.
Its scheduled closure on Dec. 31, 2026, places greater responsibility on government institutions to maintain the facilities, retain trained personnel and provide reliable funding for essential services.
The transition therefore marks a critical test of Nigeria’s ability to convert externally supported health interventions into sustainable domestic programmes.
Leave a comment