Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on African countries to strengthen their health systems and move away from reliance on foreign assistance, urging leaders across the continent to build resilient and self-sufficient health sectors.
Shettima made the appeal on Friday while speaking at a high-level side event titled “Building Africa’s Health Security Sovereignty” held alongside the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the summit, the Vice President stressed that health security must become a measurable priority for African nations. He said progress should be reflected in tangible outcomes such as factories commissioned, laboratories accredited, health workers trained, counterfeit drug markets dismantled, and expanded insurance coverage.
According to him, Africa’s future depends on its ability to build internal capacity rather than depend on external support.
“When history reflects on this generation of African leadership, may it record that when confronted with vulnerability, we chose capacity; when confronted with dependence, we chose dignity; and when confronted with uncertainty, we chose cooperation,” he said. “In choosing cooperation, we built a continent that could heal itself.”
Shettima warned that the continent’s experience during global health crises, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic, exposed the dangers of vulnerability. He noted that while other regions turned inward to protect their interests, African countries were left negotiating for limited vaccines and medical supplies.
He emphasised that health security should be treated as a matter of national and continental security.
“A virus does not carry a passport. A counterfeit medicine does not respect a border. A pandemic does not wait for bureaucracy,” he stated.
Highlighting Nigeria’s response to health challenges under President Tinubu’s administration, Shettima outlined ongoing reforms aimed at strengthening the country’s health system.
He disclosed that in December 2023, Nigeria launched the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, which secured over $2.2 billion in commitments tied to measurable health outcomes. The initiative aims to renovate and revitalise more than 17,000 primary healthcare centres nationwide, train 120,000 frontline health workers, and expand health insurance coverage within three years through reforms spearheaded by the National Health Insurance Authority.
He explained that financial protection through expanded insurance coverage is just as important as infrastructure in achieving true health sovereignty.
The Vice President also referenced the Presidential Initiative to Unlock the Healthcare Value Chain, designed to boost local pharmaceutical manufacturing and reduce dependence on imported medical products.
According to him, Nigeria has strengthened epidemic intelligence and emergency preparedness systems, enabling quicker responses to disease outbreaks. He said the country is expanding laboratory networks, enhancing genomic surveillance, and reinforcing coordination at emergency operations centres through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
Shettima further noted that Nigeria has intensified regulatory oversight through the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control. He said the agency is upgrading quality-control laboratories, tightening enforcement against substandard and falsified medicines, and simplifying processes for compliant manufacturers.
He reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness to collaborate with other African nations to build a continent capable of responding effectively to health emergencies and reducing dependence on foreign intervention.
Shettima Urges African Leaders to Prioritise Health Security, Reduce Dependence on Foreign Aid
