The Federal Government has said it is working to raise Nigeria’s health allocation to six per cent in the 2026 national budget, the highest in the country’s history.

Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, disclosed in Abuja at the National Health Dialogue organised by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) in partnership with Premium Times.

The minister said the move to increase the health budget is part of efforts to strengthen evidence-based reforms and improve service delivery nationwide.

Speaking at the forum attended by policymakers, health innovators, civil society actors and journalists, the minister noted that the present administration has begun dismantling decades-old expenditure patterns that drained resources away from actual healthcare delivery.

Nigeria’s health sector allocations have increased consistently from 2023 to 2025, but the percentage share of the national budget remains low, falling significantly short of the 15 per cent Abuja Declaration benchmark.

The federal government allocated N2.48 trillion, that is about 5.18 per cent of the total budget, to health in the 2025 budget, a significant rise from N1.23 trillion in 2024.

Pate said the ministry is “fully committed to ending wasteful spending,” noting that a major shift has already occurred in how federal health funds are utilised.

“In 2023, 61 per cent of the Excel funding went into policy and monitoring workshops. This year, we have reversed that trend — 91 per cent is going directly to service delivery.

“We expect the 2026 budget to move closer to six per cent health allocation, which will be the highest ever in our federal spending,” the minister stated.

According to him, efficient spending will prioritise primary healthcare, hospital upgrades, cancer care, intensive care capacity and affordability for vulnerable groups.

In his keynote address, Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Muyi Aina, said evidence, innovation and sustainable financing remain essential to improving health outcomes.

He reported that in the past two years alone, more than 2,000 additional primary healthcare facilities have been completed nationwide, with over 70,000 health workers trained.

“Primary healthcare centres recorded between 46 and 47 million service visits within the period. Maternal and child health continues to improve, with antenatal care attendance rising by 22.5 per cent,” he said.

Aina also highlighted progress in digital tracking, financial management tools, and improved logistics for vaccination campaigns, noting that innovation is strengthening accountability.

Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Temitope Ilori, commended the organisers for deepening accountability in health reporting.

She said journalism, public health and national development are interconnected, noting that accurate reporting “shapes policy and saves lives.”

Ilori reiterated NACA’s commitment to sustaining gains in HIV prevention and treatment through evidence-driven coordination and strengthened partnerships.

The WHO Country Representative to Nigeria, Pavel Ursu, represented by Taiwo Hamza,t said Nigeria is at a defining moment in its health-sector reform journey.

He noted that while routine immunisation coverage has grown from five per cent in 2013 to 39 per cent in 2024, systemic inefficiencies still hinder progress.

Ursu urged the government to “return to the days when primary healthcare worked for every Nigerian family,” stressing that real transformation begins at the community level.

He also raised concerns over the pace of health insurance uptake.

Despite enrolment rising from 16.7 million in 2023 to 19.2 million in 2024, he said much more is needed to meet the 2025 target of 44 million Nigerians.

With 63 per cent of Nigeria’s population under 25, he called for deeper youth engagement and gender equity in policy design and implementation.