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| Dr. Francis Ohanyido |
Nigeria is set to play a leading role in Africa’s efforts to strengthen primary healthcare systems as it hosts the Africa Primary Health Care Forum (APHCF) on July 15 in Abuja.
The forum is expected to convene key stakeholders from across the continent to address pressing issues such as sustainable healthcare financing, medical oxygen access, and the alignment of donor funding with national health priorities.
This was disclosed by Dr. Francis Ohanyido, Director-General of the West African Institute of Public Health, during an interview on Saturday in Abuja.
According to Ohanyido, the high-level event will be opened by Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare. Discussions will centre on achieving universal health coverage (UHC) through resilient primary health care (PHC) systems.
A key feature of the forum will be the Africa regional launch of the Lancet Global Health Commission Report on Medical Oxygen Security.
The report highlights the essential role of oxygen in healthcare, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where shortages have contributed to avoidable deaths.
According to reports its estimated that $6.8 billion is required annually to meet global medical oxygen needs. Experts suggest that this target could be met with increased domestic investment and political will.
Ohanyido noted that Nigeria launched its National Oxygen Strategy in 2016, positioning it among the early adopters of structured approaches to oxygen access on the continent.
Beyond oxygen access, the forum will address the importance of aligning donor funding with national health priorities and improving public financial management (PFM) to ensure efficient use of resources.
Ohanyido said these themes reflect the principles of the Lusaka Agenda, which advocates for reduced aid dependency and improved domestic ownership of health systems.
He noted that a flagship plenary session on partnerships will focus on how coordinated financing and transparent funding flows can support PHC delivery.
The session will feature institutions such as the World Bank, Global Financing Facility, UNICEF, Nigeria’s Ministry of Health, and the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.
Ohanyido added that Nigeria’s adoption of a Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp), which involves multiple stakeholders contributing to a unified national health plan, is being viewed as a model of collaborative governance.
According to him, the forum's broader goal is to highlight how sustainable financing, oxygen access, and donor coordination can support stronger health systems in Africa, especially as countries face limited resources and high disease burdens.
He noted that achieving universal health coverage and broader health security would require more than policy statements, calling instead for scalable investments in PHC infrastructure across the continent.
