Nigeria has over 35,000 registered health facilities, but many of them operate without reliable electricity. Power Minister Joseph Tegbe says the solution isn't charity — it's investment.
Speaking at the National Healthcare Electrification Investor Matchmaking Forum in Lagos on Tuesday, Tegbe urged local and international investors to put money into sustainable financing models for powering the country's hospitals and clinics. The forum was organised under the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative (NPHI), a partnership between the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and UK PACT. It was hosted by the Minister of State for Health, Dr Isiaq Salako.
Tegbe described the power sector as "one of the most compelling investments on the African continent." He told investors that reliable electricity isn't just infrastructure — it's a fundamental pillar of healthcare delivery. Without power, operating theatres, cold chains for vaccines, diagnostic equipment, and emergency care all fail.
The minister said he has been involved with NPHI since before his appointment, calling it a personal commitment. He said the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda and the ongoing Power Sector Reforms.
"The initiative offers an opportunity to integrate energy planning into health infrastructure development, deploy grid enhancement and renewable hybrid systems tailored to health facilities," Tegbe said.
The plan targets more than 35,000 health facilities across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Tegbe described this as "a substantial pipeline of bankable projects" capable of attracting capital into solar mini-grids, hybrid energy systems, battery storage, and energy efficiency technologies.
He assured investors that the Federal Government would provide commitment and inter-ministerial coordination. The Ministry of Power is already active in the field, having deployed solar mini-grids and hybrid systems under the World Bank-funded Nigeria Electrification Project.
The Electricity Act, Tegbe noted, provides the regulatory foundation for structuring Power Purchase Agreements, licensing mini-grid operators, and enabling state-level participation.
Dr Isiaq Salako, the Minister of State for Health, described NPHI as a shift from donor-funded infrastructure to a sustainable Energy-as-a-Service model. Under this model, specialised providers finance, deploy, and maintain reliable power systems for health facilities. This addresses what he called "energy poverty" that undermines operating theatres, cold chain systems, diagnostics, and emergency care.
The framework is built on blended financing, institutional readiness, and national scalability. It currently targets federal tertiary hospitals, with plans to extend nationwide across primary, secondary, and tertiary facilities. A new governance structure has been set up to drive implementation and unlock private investment.
The forum brought together representatives of federal and state governments, chief medical directors, development partners, and private sector leaders. Tegbe reaffirmed the government's commitment to delivering visible, measurable improvements in the power sector, with health facilities as a priority.