President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of the National Health Technology and Data Analytics Office (NHTDAO), a new agency aimed at driving Nigeria’s digital health transformation, and appointed Dr. Obi Adigwe as its pioneer National Coordinator.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the new office will operate under the Office of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
The NHTDAO will serve as the country’s central platform for coordinating Nigeria’s digital health agenda, harmonising technology-driven initiatives across the public and private health sectors while strengthening, rather than replacing, the statutory roles of existing institutions.
The office is also expected to establish interoperability standards across the health system and drive the implementation of the National Digital Health Architecture, approved by the National Council on Health in November 2025.
Tinubu appointed Adigwe to lead the agency, citing his track record in advancing health innovation, artificial intelligence, pharmaceutical research and technology transfer.
Currently the Director-General of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Adigwe has coordinated several high-impact initiatives, including a ¥300 million nanotechnology grant, the AFREXIMBank-funded project for Africa’s first Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) Training Facility, and the roadmap that secured an €18 million European Union grant—the largest in Africa for the thematic area.
He also gained international recognition during the COVID-19 pandemic for leading what was described as the world’s first scientific analysis debunking claims surrounding the controversial Covid Organics herbal preparation.
To provide strategic oversight, the President approved a high-level Steering Committee co-chaired by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Olaniyi Yusuf.
Other members include the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako; Permanent Secretary of the 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, Dr. Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq; National Coordinator of the Presidential Initiative to Unlock the Healthcare Value Chain, Dr. Abdu Mukhtar; Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Muyi Aina; Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority, Dr. Kelechi Ohiri; the Director of Health Planning, Research and Statistics in the ministry; a representative of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA); six representatives of State Commissioners for Health—one from each geopolitical zone—and industry representative, Pharm. Hamza Buhari.
The Presidency said the establishment of the NHTDAO is expected to accelerate Nigeria’s transition to a secure, interoperable and data-driven healthcare system capable of improving service delivery and health outcomes nationwide, in line with the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
