President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of the Sector-wide Co-ordinating Office-Programme Management Unit (SCO-PMU) domiciled in the Office of the Co-ordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, in a statement says the SCO-PMU will serve as the secretariat and delivery unit for the NHSRII, and is to be headed by a national co-ordinator (NC).
The aim, according to the government, is to ensure efficient, transparent, and accountable management of external grants mobilised towards the implementation of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII),
The Sector-wide Co-ordinating Office-Programme Management Unit (SCO-PMU) will report to a Steering Committee/Ministerial Oversight Committee chaired by the Minister, including the Minister of State, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, and relevant development partners.
The functions of the SCO-PMU include programme management, monitoring and evaluation, engagement and supervision of Independent Verification Agents (IVAs) for NHSRII programmes, and fiduciary management.
The statement also says the President has approved the appointment of Dr. Muntaqa Umar Sadiq as the National Co-ordinator of the Sector-wide Coordinating Office-Programme Management Unit.
Dr. Umar Sadiq has over 17 years of experience in public health, impact investing, investment banking, energy, and climate financing across the health, finance, climate, and energy sectors.
The statement adds that Dr Umar has served as Head of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Chief Executive Officer of the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria, Head of the Nigeria Energy Transition Office, and Private Sector Engagement Adviser at the World Bank.
Dr. Umar Sadiq is a doctoral candidate (in public health) at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
He holds an M.Phil in Bioscience Enterprise from the University of Cambridge and also holds a medical science/MBBS degree from the Imperial College, London.
The Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) was unveiled on December 12, 2023, following the adoption of the Sector-wide Policy by the National Council on Health in November 2023.
It says the NHSRII is a bold and transformative initiative aimed at improving both population health outcomes and the country’s pool of human capital, with the primary objectives of saving lives, minimising physical and financial pains, and ensuring the health of Nigerians.
So far, $2.2 billion has been mobilised in external financing to catalyse the implementation of the NHSRII through financial commitments from various development partners.
Report By Bello Wakili
