By: Peter Emmanuel |
The World Health Organization (WHO), in partnership with the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and with funding from the Global Fund, has trained 49 technical and management staff from federal and state health insurance institutions to strengthen health financing and improve access to healthcare in Nigeria.
The four-day training, held from May 19 to 22, 2026, in Abuja, brought together participants from the NHIA and State Social Health Insurance Agencies (SSHIAs) in Anambra, Ebonyi, Gombe, Kwara and Lagos states.
The training was designed to strengthen the capacity of health insurance institutions to manage funds, improve financial protection, purchase health services more effectively and use evidence in making financing decisions.
It also supports Nigeria’s Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, efforts to expand health insurance coverage and the use of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund as a financing mechanism under the National Health Act.
Training Targets Gaps in Health Financing Capacity
The need for the training was underscored by a WHO-supported baseline assessment conducted before the programme, which identified gaps in health financing knowledge, health insurance operations and health systems management among participating institutions.
The assessment found that only 20 per cent of SSHIA staff had previously received training in health financing, while all respondents indicated a strong need for such training.
Dr Divine Igwe, Executive Secretary of the Ebonyi State Health Insurance Agency and a representative of the chief executives of the participating SSHIAs, said formal opportunities to build staff capacity in health financing were limited.
“These opportunities are rare for many of our staff,” Igwe said, adding that the knowledge gained would help states strengthen health insurance implementation and improve access to care.
The capacity gap is significant given Nigeria’s high level of out-of-pocket health spending. According to the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database, household out-of-pocket payments accounted for about 72 per cent of current health expenditure in Nigeria in 2023.
High out-of-pocket spending can expose households to financial hardship and may cause people to delay or forgo healthcare because they cannot afford the cost.
Participants Gain Practical Skills for Better Insurance Management
The training focused on practical challenges facing health insurance agencies, including how to raise and manage funds, improve financial protection and purchase healthcare services in ways that promote quality and value for money.
Participants also examined the relationship between health financing and integrated service delivery, health security, climate resilience and digital health systems.
WHO Nigeria provided technical leadership in developing the curriculum, drawing on global guidance while adapting the training to Nigeria’s health sector reforms.
More than 20 experts from WHO Nigeria, the WHO Regional Office for Africa, the Gates Foundation, the Centre for Health Economics and Development, NHIA, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria contributed to the sessions.
Dr Francis Ukwuije, WHO Nigeria’s health financing technical officer, said the objective was to ensure that knowledge gained during the training translated into practical improvements.
“Knowledge must lead to action and impact on the population we serve,” Ukwuije said, adding that WHO wanted government institutions to use evidence-based tools to make financing decisions that provide value for money and improve access to essential services.
At the end of the programme, participants completed post-training assessments. The mean score increased from 58 per cent before the training to 61 per cent afterwards, while 64 per cent of participants recorded improvements in their scores.
The assessment also recorded a statistically significant paired t-test result, providing evidence of an improvement in participants’ knowledge of key health financing and health insurance concepts following the training.
WHO, NHIA Seek Stronger Financial Protection for Vulnerable Nigerians
The 49 participants, comprising 21 females and 28 males, are expected to apply the knowledge gained to strengthen insurance operations and decision-making in their respective institutions.
The broader objective is to improve the capacity of state health insurance agencies to expand coverage and provide better financial protection for vulnerable groups, including women, children, persons with disabilities and people living in rural communities.
NHIA Director-General, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, represented at the training by Aliyu Mohammed, said expanding health insurance coverage requires collaboration among government institutions, WHO, the Global Fund, state agencies and other partners.
“The progress we have made shows what is possible when people and institutions work together for the common good,” Ohiri said.
Representing the WHO Representative in Nigeria, Dr Mary Nana Ama Brantuo acknowledged the progress made by the Nigerian government in expanding health insurance coverage and reaffirmed WHO’s technical support for national health priorities.
“This training is part of a broader effort to strengthen the systems that make universal health coverage possible in Nigeria,” Brantuo said.
She added that investing in people and institutions would support lasting improvements in health financing and access to quality services, particularly for people most in need.
The initiative forms part of the learning agenda of the Global Fund-supported Resilient and Sustainable Systems for Health pilot project on vulnerable population coverage and the integration of HIV and tuberculosis services into state health insurance schemes.
For the participants, the next phase is to translate the knowledge gained into improved insurance operations, better planning and stronger approaches to financing health services in their respective states.
Continued investment in health financing capacity and collaboration between federal and state institutions will remain important to Nigeria’s efforts to expand financial protection and move closer to universal health coverage.
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