Nigeria has pushed African countries to adopt health security sovereignty, moving away from depending on outside assistance and toward developing independent, domestic health systems.

During a high-level side event on Friday called "Building Africa's Health Security Sovereignty," Vice President Kashim Shettima made the call. The event was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during the 39th Ordinary Session of the African Union's (AU) Assembly of Heads of State and Government.

At the conference, Shettima spoke on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He underlined the need for Africa to safeguard its healthcare systems against the unpredictabilities of far-off supply chains and the shifting demands of international emergencies.

"Nigeria is prepared to work with all of our Union's member states to make health security sovereignty quantifiable through the commissioning of factories, accreditation of laboratories, training of health workers, dismantling of counterfeit markets, and expansion of insurance coverage," he stated.

The vice president emphasised how vulnerable Africa was to the COVID-19 epidemic. With limited oxygen supply and rationed immunisations, the continent had to improvise and endure delays. He emphasised that leadership must actively lessen such weaknesses because endurance on its own is not a workable strategy.

"Health security is national security, and national security is continental security in a continent that is interconnected." There is no passport for a virus. A fake medication doesn't respect boundaries. Shettima said, "A pandemic doesn't wait for bureaucracy."

Shettima outlined the actions that President Tinubu is leading Nigeria to take. These include enhancing regulatory control, expanding domestic health financing, and promoting local pharmaceutical manufacture.

He highlighted the Investment Initiative for the Renewal of the Nigerian Health Sector. Since its launch in December 2023, more than $2.2 billion has been committed. Within three years, the project intends to train 120,000 frontline healthcare professionals, refurbish over 17,000 basic healthcare facilities, and increase access to health insurance.

Through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the Vice President also highlighted Nigeria's progress in genomic surveillance, epidemic intelligence, and emergency preparedness. With improved quality-control labs and more stringent enforcement against inferior medications, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has stepped up regulatory oversight, he continued.

Shettima explained that Nigeria is further unlocking its healthcare value chain. This is being done through the Presidential Initiative to Unlock the Healthcare Value Chain. The initiative targets structural bottlenecks for local pharmaceutical manufacturers, medical device assemblers, and biotechnology innovators.

Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment. He said the country is leading by example in building workforce capacity and strengthening health systems. Pate noted efforts to bridge rural-urban gaps in health worker distribution and to build resilience across the continent.

Africa CDC Director General, Dr. Jean Kaseya, praised Nigeria’s leadership. He emphasized the need for synergy in resources to tackle fragmented investments in health systems.

Health Ministers from Senegal, Malawi, and Ethiopia pledged support for the initiative. They aligned with Nigeria’s call to boost investment in workforce databases and strengthen community health systems.

African Union Finance and Health Ministers urged AU Heads of State and Government to increase political commitment at the end of the summit. They demanded that health and community health systems invest more consistently in human resources.

The ministers specifically pushed for the promotion of community health workers and human resources for health as strategic pillars of universal health coverage, primary health care, and pandemic preparedness, prevention, and response.

By 2030, they aim to have two million community health professionals across the continent. Additionally, they promoted the creation of national community health acceleration programs and more domestic funding.