President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of the National Health Technology and Data Analytics Office and appointed Obi Adigwe as its pioneer National Coordinator.
The new office, known as NHTDAO, will be domiciled in the Office of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
In a statement issued on June 26, 2026, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the office will serve as a meta-level national platform for coordinating Nigeria’s digital health agenda.
According to the statement, the NHTDAO will reinforce, not replace, the existing statutory functions of relevant departments and agencies in the health sector.
It will also harmonise and empower public and private institutions across the health system, set standards for interoperability and operationalise the National Digital Health Architecture, which was approved by the National Council on Health in November 2025.
Tinubu said the office is expected to accelerate Nigeria’s transition to a secure, interoperable and data-driven health system capable of improving health outcomes for citizens, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration.
The newly appointed National Coordinator, Obi Adigwe, is the Director General of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development.
According to the Presidency, Adigwe has leveraged science to drive interventions in artificial intelligence, translational research and technology transfer.
He also coordinated major projects, including the ¥300 million Nanotechnology grant and the Afreximbank grant for Africa’s first Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Training Facility.
The statement added that Adigwe led the roadmap development that supported an €18 million European Union grant, described as the largest in Africa for that thematic area.
During the last pandemic, the Presidency said Adigwe showcased African science globally by conducting the world’s first analysis debunking claims about the Covid Organics preparation.
The NHTDAO will have a Steering Committee to provide strategic direction and oversight.
Members of the committee include the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, CON, who will serve as Co-chair; Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Olaniyi Yusuf, also as Co-chair; and Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Adekunle Salako, who will serve as Alternate Co-chair.
Other members are the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Kachollom Daju; Special Adviser to the President on Technology and Digital Economy, Idris Alubankudi Saliu; National Coordinator of the SWAp Coordination Office, Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq; and National Coordinator of the Presidential Initiative to Unlock the Healthcare Value Chain, Abdu Mukhtar.
Also listed are the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Muyi Aina; Director General of the National Health Insurance Authority, Kelechi Ohiri; Director of Health Planning, Research and Statistics in the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare; the National Information Technology Development Agency; six representatives of State Commissioners of Health, one from each geopolitical zone; and Pharm Hamza Buhari, representing industry and community stakeholders.
The Presidency said the establishment of the NHTDAO is aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s digital health system by improving data coordination, technology deployment, standards-setting and institutional collaboration across the country’s health sector.
