The Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN) and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) have held a high-level Private Sector Roundtable in Lagos to drive mandatory health insurance and achieve universal health coverage in Nigeria.
Leaders from all sectors, including government, tech, banks, and the private sector, met with health insurers to devise a shared plan.
Their goal: rapidly increase health insurance coverage for the massive, underserved informal sector.
The meeting was the first in a series of engagements between the NHIA and private sector stakeholders to align priorities, unlock market opportunities, and jointly address operational and policy constraints slowing down the uptake of health insurance nationwide.
Kelechi Ohiri, director-general of the NHIA, while delivering the keynote address, said efforts must be geared towards ensuring that mandatory health insurance translates into practical health solutions for Nigerians.
He identified digital infrastructure, trust-building, product reform, and deeper private-sector collaboration as the focal points necessary to achieve the scale envisioned under the NHIA Act.
Ohiri said 2026 is the key year to finally get health insurance to the millions of capable, uninsured workers in the informal sector, using new payment methods and technology.
“Mandatory health insurance will not succeed on legislation alone. Enforcement, awareness, and, most importantly, restoring trust are essential,” Dr. Ohiri stated. “Government cannot do this alone. To reach the informal sector at scale, we must unlock the innovation, networks, and operational agility that only the private sector can bring.”
In her opening remarks, Njide Ndili, HFN President, expressed confidence that the Federation would work hand-in-hand with the government to deliver universal health insurance.
She noted that the private sector’s inclusion in the UHC Compact marks a major milestone and signals the shared responsibility required to strengthen both the demand and supply sides of the health system.
Ndili highlighted HFN’s expanding partnerships, including agreements on quality improvement, manufacturing, emergency care, and data systems, as critical enablers of a more resilient and equitable health financing landscape.
Leke Oshunniyi, former chairman, Health & Managed Care Association of Nigeria (HMCAN), emphasised the pivotal role of technology in scaling health insurance.
He called for an integrated national digital architecture capable of aggregating data from across existing systems, telcos, NIMC, FRSC, tax authorities, and healthcare providers, to support seamless enrollment, verification, and claims management.
Oshunniyi stressed that without a strong digital backbone, the sector would be unable to scale coverage, strengthen accountability, or ensure efficient purchasing for both formal and informal sector populations.
Presentations were also made by representatives of Health Systems Consult Limited (HSCL), Medtronics, Market Doctors, amongst others.
Across the sessions, speakers highlighted a set of priority actions needed to accelerate nationwide scale-up. These included stronger enforcement of the NHIA Act, interoperable national data systems, micro-insurance product development, integration of telemedicine, market-driven enrolment channels, improved primary healthcare quality, and sustainable financing models driven by fintech and private-sector investment.
Participants also stressed the need to rebuild trust in health insurance by improving the quality of care, ensuring claims transparency, addressing supply-side weaknesses, and establishing private-sector-led platforms for quality assurance and patient safety.
The roundtable concluded with commitments to establish a joint NHIA–HFN working group on technology and data integration; map existing private innovations for scale; support NHIA’s planned Informal Sector Coverage Fund; strengthen engagement with ALGON and state PHC agencies; and convene a follow-up implementation meeting with the NHIA Director General in January 2026.
HFN reaffirmed its commitment to coordinating private sector actors and supporting NHIA’s reforms aimed at expanding coverage, enhancing efficiency, and ensuring that Nigeria’s move toward Universal Health Coverage is inclusive, sustainable, and innovation-driven.
The Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN) is a coalition of private healthcare sector stakeholders dedicated to supporting the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through private-sector engagement and activation. Through advocacy, partnerships, and innovation, HFN works to strengthen collaboration between the public and private sectors and promote sustainable growth across Nigeria’s healthcare ecosystem.
