Stakeholders have outlined new pathways for digital technology adoption and healthcare financing reforms aimed at transforming health systems and strengthening continental collaboration across Africa.

They also highlighted efforts by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to drive regulatory harmonisation across the continent and scale up local production of medical products to 60 per cent by 2040.

The stakeholders spoke at the World Health Expo held in Lagos, which brought together manufacturers, policymakers, regulators and development partners, with a strong emphasis on digital health expansion, improved healthcare financing structures and increased local production of medical products across Africa.

The Special Representative of Africa CDC for West Africa, Prof. Aliko Ahmed, called for a unified African healthcare market to boost local production of medicines and medical devices.

Ahmed said Africa currently imports more than 60 per cent of its vaccines and medicines, describing the situation as unsustainable. He noted that African heads of state have set a target of producing 60 per cent of medical products locally by 2040.

According to him, achieving this target would require strengthening local manufacturing capacity, ensuring product quality and building regulatory systems that meet international standards while addressing Africa’s healthcare needs.

He explained that Africa is working towards a pooled procurement system that would enable countries to collectively purchase and distribute medical products, thereby strengthening demand for locally manufactured goods.

Ahmed also stressed the need for regulatory harmonisation across African countries, noting that a unified regulatory system would allow medical products manufactured in one country to be distributed across the continent without regulatory barriers.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, stated that Nigeria’s healthcare industry is projected to grow by 7.1 per cent, reaching an estimated market value of $161.7 million by 2027.

He further explained that West Africa’s broader health market, currently valued at over $11 billion, is under increasing pressure to build resilient local supply chains, attract quality investment and achieve universal health coverage.

Salako said Nigeria is expanding digital healthcare systems as part of efforts to improve efficiency and service delivery in the health sector.

According to him, increased internet penetration has made it possible to expand telemedicine, remote diagnostics and digital health platforms, allowing healthcare services to reach patients without requiring the physical presence of specialists.

He added that digital health systems improve productivity tracking, enhance accountability and enable better coordination of healthcare workers while also supporting international collaboration in medical service delivery.

Salako noted that the Federal Government’s Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative is focused on expanding access to quality healthcare, including the revitalisation of primary healthcare centres across the country.

He explained that digital health innovations are helping bridge the healthcare gap between urban and rural communities, as specialists can now remotely consult and support patients in underserved areas.

According to him, the approach aligns with the Nigeria Digital Health Initiative, which seeks to integrate technology into healthcare delivery systems nationwide.

On public-private collaboration, Salako described partnerships between government and private healthcare providers as critical to improving service delivery, infrastructure development and access to healthcare.

He said such collaborations already exist in training, financing and service delivery, including the use of public hospitals by private institutions for clinical education and professional development.

The Exhibition Manager of WHX, Daniel Green, said the platform was designed to shape the future of healthcare not only in Nigeria and West Africa, but across the African continent.

Green described Lagos as a strategic hub for the event, noting that it remains one of Africa’s fastest-growing healthcare markets and a major economic centre attracting both local and international investors in the medical sector.

He disclosed that more than 300 exhibitors from countries including India, China, Pakistan, the United States and the United Kingdom participated in the expo, reflecting growing international interest in Africa’s expanding healthcare and medical device market.

On healthcare financing, Green observed that cost barriers linked to foreign exchange and equipment procurement remain major challenges for African health systems.

He stressed that financing reforms would remain a key focus of discussions at the expo, adding that WHX also operates in other African cities, including Johannesburg and Nairobi, as well as partner events in Egypt and Ethiopia, all aimed at strengthening healthcare financing frameworks across the continent.

According to him, improved financing systems are necessary to ensure that African countries can access quality medical equipment while sustaining investment in healthcare infrastructure and services.