In a decisive step to accelerate Universal Health Coverage (UHC), the World Health Organization (WHO) in Nigeria, on 14 April, convened ambassadors and heads of mission for its first Ambassadorial Health Diplomacy Roundtable in Abuja.

The meeting mobilised diplomatic alignment, resources and accountability to support the Government of Nigeria’s health sector reform agenda under the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) and its Sector-Wide Approach, and to deliver measurable health outcomes for all.

At a time when health challenges are increasingly shaped by global and geopolitical dynamics, the inaugural dialogue brought together Ambassadors, Heads of Missions and WHO staff, providing a platform for strategic dialogue, shared understanding and coordinated action. Participants reflected on Nigeria’s health journey, its progress, complexity, and global relevance-from advancing UHC and strengthening primary health care whilst tackling multi-disease burden across communicable diseases, NCDs, and recurrent outbreaks, to strengthening health security in an interconnected world.

At country level, health diplomacy translates global agreements into coordinated action- offering a platform for partners and diplomatic missions to align their efforts, leverage their comparative advantages, and accelerate progress toward shared health outcomes in Nigeria. In this context, the inaugural dialogue marks the establishment of a structured platform to connect national priorities with global processes and partners.

Aligning diplomacy with national priorities
Opening the roundtable, Dr Pavel Ursu, WHO Country Representative to Nigeria, emphasised that health must be viewed through both national and global lenses and underscored the role of diplomacy in sustaining reforms under the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII).

“Health is both a national and global priority, particularly as diseases increasingly transcend borders. This requires coordinated, cross-country action to prevent and respond effectively to public health threats,” he said.

Dr Ursu noted that the platform aligns diplomatic influence, technical expertise and resources with Nigeria’s reform agenda, ensuring global commitments translate into measurable gains. He reaffirmed WHO’s technical support across surveillance, polio eradication, laboratory systems, workforce capacity, infection prevention and control, and risk communication.

The dialogue also comes at a critical moment-in anticipation of the 79th World Health Assembly and Nigeria’s leadership in hosting the 5th High-Level Ministerial Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in Abuja-both of which reinforce the importance of translating global commitments into country-level impact through effective health diplomacy.

Progress and persistent challenges
Technical staff highlighted measurable gains across the sector, supported by recent programme data. Immunisation coverage is improving, with 53% of children having received the third dose of DPT-HepB-Hib (Penta), while progress towards polio eradication continues, with a ~30% decline in circulating variant poliovirus type 2 (cVPV2) detections between 2024 and 2025. Disease surveillance and response capacity have strengthened, enabling more effective management of multiple outbreaks in 2025, including cholera, Lassa fever and mpox.

However, persistent gaps-such as low full immunisation coverage (36%), rising noncommunicable diseases, high tuberculosis burden, and constraints from funding and insecurity-underscore the need for sustained, coordinated action.
Discussions also highlighted broader system challenges, including health financing at about 4%, high out-of-pocket expenditures accounting for over 75% of total health spending, and recurrent disease outbreaks, with at least 5 major outbreaks reported in 2025.

Strengthening early warning systems and health security
A key focus was Nigeria’s growing capacity to detect and respond to threats through strengthened point-of-entry (PoE) surveillance.
“Point of entry surveillance is a frontline defence for health security. By strengthening systems to capture and analyse alerts in real time, Nigeria is better positioned to prevent outbreaks and respond rapidly to emerging threats,” Dr Ursu said.
WHO supports frameworks that improve early detection, verification and response, ensuring signals are captured early and acted upon before escalation.

Diplomatic reflections and partnership perspectives
Arash Irantalab, Counsellor and Head of Development Cooperation, High Commission of Canada to Nigeria, commended WHO Nigeria for convening the dialogue.

“Platforms like this are critical for strengthening collaboration, aligning priorities, and advancing collective action for better health outcomes. Canada looks forward to continued engagement and more opportunities to deepen dialogue in support of Nigeria’s health goals,” he said.

Mr Walde Natangwe Ndevashiya, Namibia’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, stressed the importance of information-sharing and coordinated action.

“Disease outbreaks do not respect borders, and our response must be equally interconnected. By strengthening collaboration and data systems, we can improve preparedness, respond more effectively, and protect populations across the continent,” he said.
Saara Hilden-Korpinen, Political Officer at the Embassy of Finland, noted that sustained dialogue enhances trust and collective problem-solving among partners.

WHO’s role in advancing UHC
WHO supports Nigeria’s journey towards UHC through targeted assistance, including strengthening surveillance, expanding laboratory capacity, supporting vaccination campaigns, enhancing IPC measures, and delivering community-based interventions. These efforts are implemented with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and partners under a One Health approach.

A platform for sustained engagement
The roundtable establishes a structured platform for dialogue, transparency and alignment between Nigeria and its partners.
Closing the session, Dr Ursu called for sustained collaboration and investment.

“Achieving Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria requires sustained political will, coordinated partnerships and smart investments. Together, we can strengthen systems, close gaps and ensure that every Nigerian has access to quality health services without financial hardship,” he said.

In parallel, global negotiations-such as the Pandemic Agreement and its annex on pathogen access and benefit-sharing (PABS)-highlight the growing importance of equity, solidarity, and collective preparedness, reinforcing the need to connect global frameworks with country-level delivery.

Looking ahead
As Nigeria advances its reform agenda, the roundtable reinforced a clear message: strong partnerships, backed by evidence and coordinated action, are essential to building resilient health systems and delivering health for all.
Participants committed to strengthening alignment with national priorities under the NHSRII, enhancing information-sharing, and sustaining joint action on outbreak preparedness and response.