NIGERIA: CJIDs’ National Health Dialogue To Spotlight Primary Healthcare.

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By Lisa Chankat

The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) will host the 2025 National Health Dialogue in Abuja, bringing together senior government officials, global health institutions, journalists, civil society groups, and health innovators for a full day of discussions on the state of Nigeria’s health system.

The 2025 Dialogue will focus on how evidence, innovation, and sustainable financing can strengthen Nigeria’s health system, with particular attention to primary healthcare performance, health accountability, and strategies for improving service delivery across states.

The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, will headline the event in a fireside discussion examining Nigeria’s reform priorities, the future of primary healthcare, and the shifts required to improve outcomes nationwide.

Other senior officials expected include the Nigeria Country Director of the World Health Organisation, the Director-General of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and the Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

In a statement. Executive Director, the Centre for Journalism Innovation, Akintunde Babatunde, says several state commissioners of health will also participate in sessions on state-level financing plans and performance gaps.

The event will also showcase investigative health reporting, with the dialogue to open with a health journalism segment featuring a documentary and reporting highlights from Premium Times, alongside showcases from Nigeria Health Watch and The Punch Newspapers.

“The session is designed to spotlight the role of public-interest reporting in exposing systemic failures and shaping health policy debates.”

According to Babatunde, the Dialogue represents the beginning of a wider national effort to strengthen health systems.

“Following this conversation, we will take these engagements to regions where there is clear evidence of declining health services, so we can work with stakeholders on practical steps to improve health outcomes across the country,” he said.

Speaking ahead of the event, Idris Akinbajo, Managing Editor of Premium Times, emphasised the newsroom’s long-standing focus on health accountability.

“Over the years, Premium Times has led powerful investigations to ensure the health system in Nigeria is strengthened. This dialogue is our way of bringing the news from the pages of the newspaper to stakeholders, so we can jointly chart a new path to support sustainable health financing,” he explained.

Sessions throughout the day will examine the performance of primary healthcare centres, the role of state actors in budget implementation, and the challenge of mobilising sustainable financing in a period of declining donor support.

The organisers say the National Health Dialogue is intended to create a neutral space where policymakers, researchers, journalists, civil society groups, and development partners can assess evidence, identify gaps, and propose practical reforms for strengthening Nigeria’s health outcomes.