President Bola Tinubu has appointed Dr Obi Adigwe as the National Coordinator of the newly established National Health Technology and Data Analytics Office (NHTDAO).
The new office, which will operate under the Office of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, is expected to serve as a national coordination platform for Nigeria’s digital health system.
According to the Federal Government, the office will support existing health institutions rather than replace them. It will also work to harmonise public and private health systems through shared standards, policies and digital platforms.
The NHTDAO will be responsible for driving the implementation of the National Digital Health Architecture approved by the National Council on Health in November 2025.
President Tinubu said the initiative forms part of efforts to build a secure, technology-driven and data-based healthcare system capable of improving service delivery across the country.
Until his appointment, Adigwe served as Director-General of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD).
He has led several science, technology and innovation projects, including initiatives involving artificial intelligence, pharmaceutical development and technology transfer.
Adigwe also coordinated major research funding programmes, including a ¥300 million nanotechnology grant and an €18 million European Union research grant. He further supported the establishment of Africa’s first Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) training facility through Afreximbank-backed funding.
The office will be supervised by a steering committee co-chaired by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, and the Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Mr Olaniyi Yusuf.
Other members of the committee include the Minister of State for Health, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, senior officials of the Federal Ministry of Health, representatives of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), heads of key health agencies, including the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and the National Health Insurance Authority, as well as representatives of state health commissioners from the six geopolitical zones.
Industry stakeholders and community representatives will also be part of the committee.
The Federal Government said the new office is expected to improve coordination within the health sector, strengthen digital healthcare systems and support better health outcomes nationwide in line with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
