President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has unveiled energy reform plans to tackle the persistent power supply crisis in Nigerian hospitals, aiming to ensure reliable electricity for healthcare delivery.
Speaking at the two-day National Stakeholders Dialogue on Power in the Health Sector in Abuja on Tuesday, Tinubu called for urgent attention and coordinated action, warning that lives are at stake.
He noted that unreliable electricity in health facilities continues to disrupt care, drive up costs, and endanger lives.
The dialogue, jointly organized by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Federal Ministry of Power, brought together government agencies, development partners, and private sector players to tackle one of the sector’s biggest challenges: electricity shortages in healthcare institutions.
Reliable power as cornerstone of modern healthcare
Tinubu described the initiative as a cornerstone of modern healthcare, stressing that reliable, sustainable, and cost-effective electricity access is essential to delivering quality services, improving outcomes, and strengthening efficiency across Nigeria’s health system.
The President warned that the persistent power supply crisis in health facilities was undermining patient safety and costing lives.
“Today, we face a pressing issue that affects every Nigerian: the persistent power supply crisis in our tertiary hospitals and public health institutions.
“In surgical theatres, maternity wards, intensive care units, laboratories, and emergency rooms across the country, power outages too often compromise safety, interrupt care, and cost lives.
“This crisis demands our immediate attention and concerted action. These outages cannot continue, and under our administration, they should not. Lives are at stake. We must act now,” he declared.
Renewed Hope Agenda for health sector energy reform
Tinubu reaffirmed that his administration is fully committed to transforming the health sector by deploying innovative solutions to tackle its major challenges, particularly the sub-optimal, inefficient, and uneconomical electricity supply that disrupts care, drives up costs, compromises quality, and fuels patient dissatisfaction.
He explained that the energy reform initiative for hospitals is not an isolated intervention, but an integral part of the Renewed Hope Agenda aimed at addressing energy poverty through decentralized, tailor-made solutions and greater private sector participation.
“Through the Energy Transition Plan and our Power Sector Reform initiatives, we are building a robust foundation for cleaner, more resilient, and more decentralized energy delivery systems across Nigeria,” the President said.
Anchored on sustainability, innovation, and inclusivity
The President stressed that the reforms are anchored on the principles of sustainability, innovation, and inclusivity.
According to him, the plan aligns with Nigeria’s Energy Transition Plan, which focuses on
1. Expanding off-grid solar and hybrid systems to power critical public infrastructure;
2. Incentivizing private sector participation through favourable policies and fiscal frameworks;
3. Promoting public-private partnerships (PPPs) as vehicles for sustainable energy deployment;
4. Leveraging blended financing to attract investments from development partners, international financial institutions, and local financiers;
5. Ensuring efficient management of energy resources, such as securing installations, guaranteeing recovery of investment capital, and sustainably managing waste from deployed energy systems.
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The President stressed that the National Stakeholders Dialogue should not be seen as a mere discussion forum but as a launching pad for collaborative action, strategic alignment, and shared responsibility in powering Nigeria’s health institutions.
He thanked development partners for their ongoing support and urged them to continue backing scalable, context-driven, and inclusive energy-health interventions.
Tinubu also called on the private sector and investors to take advantage of the opportunities in Nigeria’s health, energy, and infrastructure sectors.
“Nigeria is open for business. We offer an enabling environment, clear frameworks for return on investment, and a government willing to partner with credible investors in renewable and hybrid energy systems. The potential benefits to your business are significant,” he said.
To health institutions and facility managers, he appealed for a shift away from temporary fixes, encouraging the design and implementation of efficient, maintainable, and community-owned energy systems.
