Nigeria Calls For Stronger Private Sector Investment to Transform Eye Care in Nigeria

Nigeria Calls For Stronger Private Sector Investment to Transform Eye Care in Nigeria

By Our Reporter

Abuja (Core Reporters)-The Federal Government has called for stronger and more strategic private-sector investment in eye health as part of efforts to reduce preventable blindness, improve productivity and strengthen Nigeria’s human capital.

 The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, made the call at a Public-Private Sector Roundtable on Eye Health held in Abuja under the theme, “GIFT of Sight: Mobilising Partnerships and Sustainable Funding towards Transforming Eye Care in Nigeria.”

Salako said eye health should no longer be viewed solely as a health-sector concern, stressing that good vision is fundamental to education, workplace productivity, economic growth and national development. He noted that about 24 million Nigerians live with vision loss, much of which is linked to preventable or treatable conditions including cataracts, glaucoma, uncorrected refractive errors and digital eye strain.

He therefore urged businesses across banking, manufacturing, telecommunications, energy and other sectors to recognise eye-health investment as both a social responsibility and a strategic economic decision.

The Minister called on the private sector to deploy innovative financing mechanisms, including blended finance, social impact funds, co-financing arrangements and concessional loans, to expand eye-care infrastructure and access to quality services.

He also urged companies to channel their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) investments into structured national programmes such as school eye-health initiatives, rural surgical outreaches and permanent community-based eye-care centres, while encouraging telecommunications companies to leverage digital infrastructure to expand tele-ophthalmology, remote screening and mobile diagnostic services.

He further challenged Nigerian manufacturers to reduce the country’s dependence on imported eye-care products by investing in the local production of spectacle frames, lenses, ophthalmic medicines and other essential consumables, stressing that stronger domestic production would not only make eye-care commodities more affordable and accessible but also create jobs, strengthen local supply chains and contribute to Nigeria’s broader economic development objectives.

Salako highlighted the progress being recorded by the Federal Government through the JigiBola 2.0 initiative, noting that in just over one year, the programme, in partnership with stakeholders, has delivered more than two million free eye screenings, 1.5 million free spectacles, trained over 2,200 Primary Health Care workers, and activated more than 800 PHC centres to provide primary eye-care services across 16 states, adding that the next phase would extend services to more than one million Nigerians in an additional 10 states, while the Renewed Hope Health Connect initiative is targeting the delivery of 25,000 free cataract surgeries by 2027.

The Minister commended existing private-sector interventions, particularly the longstanding partnership between First City Monument Bank (FCMB) and the Tulsi Chanrai Foundation, which he said had reached more than 400,000 Nigerians, urging other corporate organisations to replicate the gesture to address the eye-health needs of a population of over 200 million people.

He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, to creating an enabling policy environment for sustainable public-private partnerships in eye health.

Salako called on development partners and civil society organisations to continue providing catalytic support, technical expertise and innovation while helping Nigeria transition from donor-dependent interventions to a locally financed, sustainable and accountable eye-health ecosystem, stressing that “a nation cannot march into economic prosperity if it is walking blind.”

In her opening remarks, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Mrs. Yemisi Edun, represented by Dr. Diron Olojo, said eye health was not merely a medical concern but a critical component of education, productivity, economic inclusion and human dignity.

She noted that preventable and treatable visual impairment continues to affect individuals, families and communities, stressing that gaps in awareness, skilled personnel, equipment and access to services must be addressed through sustained collaboration.

Edun highlighted FCMB’s partnership with the Tulsi Chanrai Foundation through the Priceless Gift of Sight Initiative, launched in 2009, which had provided free eye-care services to more than 400,000 Nigerians by July 2024 through eye testing, optical services, surgeries and disease management, rearfirming that the experience demonstrated the value of long-term partnerships in delivering health impact.

The FCMB Managing Director rearfirmed the Bank’s commitment to expanding access to eye care, and urged stakeholders to use the roundtable to agree on three practical priorities: identifying communities and services with the greatest unmet needs; developing sustainable financing plans with clearly defined responsibilities; and establishing delivery timelines and measurable indicators for accountability.

In her presentation, titled “The True Value of Vision- Transforming Health, Economy, and Human Potential” the National Coordinator, National Eye Ear and Sensory Function Health Programme, Dr. Oteri Okolo said the gathering was not merely to discuss public health interventions population or clinical statistics, but to confront a fundamental pillar of human dignity, development, prosperity, and social potential: the value of vision.

She noted that for generations, eye health was viewed as a secondary priority—a peripheral health issue relegated to the background in favour of acute diseases and maternal health, emphasizing that vision is not a luxury, but core window through which human beings learn, work, connect, and navigate the world.

Dr. Oteri while highlighting progress in the National Eye, Ear, and Sensory Functions Health Programme said eye health has been embed into the broader national health architecture.

” Our strategic focus has been guided by National Eye Health Policy and Strategic plan with Integrated People-Centered Eye Care (IPCEC) as our strategy, ensuring that eye care is not an isolated specialty, but an essential component of Universal Health Coverage (UHC)” Dr. Okolo said

In a goodwill message represented by Prof Joy Shuaibu – Country Director, Sightsavers and Coordinator, Eye Health Non-Governmental Development Organisation NGDO expressed appreciation “on behalf of the NGDO Coalition for Eye Health in Nigeria, we are very pleased with the efforts and commitment of the National Eye, Ear, and Sensory Function Health Program, because the leadership has strategically engaged relevant actors in this space.”

She encouraged the Coalition to focus during the discussion on actionable solutions, innovating financing, and scalable partnerships that will accelerate progress towards universal access to eye health services across Nigeria.

The Head, Vision Care for Development Foundation, supported by Sterling Oil, Mimansa Shulala described the theme as relevant because restoring sight is not only about health, but about restoring opportunity, dignity, productivity, and hope for the underserved and underprivileged community, which is hard to reach otherwise.

She highlighted that the foundation through the support of SIPCON and Tulsi Chanrai have screened more than 17,000 people, beneficiaries, underserved communities in past two and a half years, and identified over 3,000 plus individuals requiring intervention, and facilitated more than 1,500 cataract and peritoneum surgeries so far, and many more are in waiting, adding that more than 1,000 surgeries are done in partnership with TCF at Calabar facility.

Mimansa stated that their objective is to strengthening government system, building local capacities, creating a model that can be sustained and scaled. “This is a strength of public-private partnership, where government provides leadership and system. SIPCO, Sterling Oil has provided support and resources. TCF has brought its expertise and technical knowledge, while VCDF channelized program to community. When this strong strength comes together, we will move beyond individual intervention to build sustainable solution for the communities.”

The roundtable brought together government, healthcare providers, private-sector organisations, foundations and other stakeholders to strengthen collaboration towards a more accessible, equitable and sustainable eye-care system in Nigeria.