President Bola Tinubu has approved the creation of the National Health Technology and Data Analytics Office (NHTDAO), a new body designed to drive the country’s digital health transformation, and appointed Dr Obi Adigwe as its pioneer National Coordinator.
The President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made the disclosure in a statement on Friday.
He said the office would operate under the Office of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
According to the statement, the NHTDAO will function as a central coordinating platform for Nigeria’s digital health ecosystem, providing strategic oversight while complementing the statutory responsibilities of existing institutions rather than replacing them.
The office is expected to harmonise digital health initiatives across both the public and private sectors, establish common standards, and oversee the implementation of the National Digital Health Architecture approved by the National Council on Health in November 2025.
Onanuga described Adigwe, who currently serves as Director-General of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), as a scientist with extensive experience in advancing artificial intelligence, translational research and technology transfer.
He noted that Adigwe coordinated several landmark initiatives, including a ¥300 million nanotechnology grant and the AFREXIMBank-supported project for Africa’s first Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) training facility.
He also led the development of the roadmap that secured an €18 million European Union grant, described as the largest on the continent for that thematic area.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the statement added, Adigwe gained international recognition for leading what was described as the world’s first scientific analysis that debunked claims surrounding COVID-19 organic preparations.
The President also approved a multi-sectoral steering committee to guide the activities of the NHTDAO. The committee will be co-chaired by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate, and the Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), Olaniyi Yusuf.
Other members include the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, who will serve as alternate co-chair; Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Kachollom Daju; Special Adviser to the President on Technology and Digital Economy, Idris Alubankudi Saliu; National Coordinator of the SWAp Coordination Office, Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq; National Coordinator of the Presidential Initiative to Unlock the Healthcare Value Chain, Abdu Mukhtar; Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Muyi Aina; and Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, among others.
The committee will also include six representatives of state commissioners for health, with one member drawn from each of the country’s six geopolitical zones.
According to Onanuga, President Tinubu expects the new office to accelerate Nigeria’s transition to a secure, interoperable and data-driven health system capable of improving health outcomes and advancing the healthcare objectives of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
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