Nigeria Health Financing Observatory Launched for Accountability

The Federal Government has established the Nigeria Health Financing Observatory to enhance accountability in health spending by tracking the allocation, release, and expenditure of funds, linking financing to health outcomes. Dr Kelechi Ohiri, the Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), announced this initiative on Tuesday in Abuja during the second day of the inaugural Nigeria Health Finance Research and Learning Forum.

The observatory aims to tackle the challenges of fragmented health financing data and provide reliable evidence for policy-making at both national and subnational levels. Ohiri noted that Nigeria's healthcare financing has increased over the years, but spending remains lower than that of comparable countries.

He stressed the importance of determining whether available funds are being spent appropriately and highlighted the need for a unified data source to generate insights for policymakers and stakeholders. The observatory will feature dashboards, comparative analytics, and an evidence repository to document research findings on health financing.