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President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday welcomed the partnership between the African Export-Import Bank and King’s College Hospital, London, to establish a first-rate healthcare facility in Abuja, called Africa Medical Centre of Excellence, scheduled for completion in 2025.

He also said his administration is committed to providing excellent healthcare facilities for all Nigerians and will continue to prioritise domestic and foreign direct investments in the sector.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday titled ‘President Tinubu to Afreximbank: we are determined to succeed in healthcare.’

“’We welcome this significant step towards investing in Nigeria’s healthcare sector,” said Tinubu at a meeting with the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, Prof Benedict Oramah, accompanied by a delegation from King’s College Hospital, London.

The President said, “This facility is a great commitment to humanity. We are open and ready to assist this project in every way possible. Africa is in need, and Nigeria is committed to the needs of its people.

“Putting people’s welfare first is putting healthcare first. The training and development of our people are our priorities, and we thank KCH, known for its global reputation, for partnering with us.

“Out of every five black persons, one is a Nigerian. We are racing against time to meet our obligations to our people. This project will further strengthen our long-term vision for the healthcare of our people. We are determined to succeed, and whatever you need in order for us to achieve this project, I want to assure you, we will do it.”

Tinubu, who was recently appointed the African Union Champion for Human Resources for Health and Community Health Delivery Partnership, emphasised that the continent cannot afford to remain behind in the quality and accessibility of its healthcare system.

Therefore, he asked Afreximbank not to relent in its commitment to investing in projects that will ensure that Africa possesses the expertise and resources to meet its own healthcare needs.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, explained that the Bank and KCH are also collaborating on building a medical and nursing school alongside AMCE, in line with the administration’s commitment to expanding the training of healthcare professionals in the country.

“Your Excellency, you will recall that in October 2023, you approved an initiative to unlock Nigeria’s healthcare value chain and appointed a coordinator.

“We have worked in the last few months to identify various work streams.

“I am pleased to inform Your Excellency, that today, we signed an MOU with the President of Afreximbank for a $1bn facility to finance a credit and equity contribution pool for private sector investors interested in investing in Nigeria’s health sector value chain,” Pate said.

The Nigerian-born President of the Bank, Oramah, pledged the Bank’s commitment to developing quality health infrastructure on the continent and contributing substantially to the reduction of medical tourism out of Africa while promoting intra-Africa trade, and creating jobs in the country and continent.