Tinubu creates new health tech agency, appoints Obi Adigwe pioneer national coordinator
By Precious Mark
President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of the National Health Technology and Data Analytics Office (NHTDAO).
According to a statement on Friday by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the new agency will serve as a specialized national platform for coordinating the country’s rapid digital health transition.
This is as the President also approved the appointment of Dr. Obi Adigwe, the current Director General of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), as the pioneer National Coordinator of the newly formed agency.
According to the statement, the agency will be domiciled in the Office of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
The Presidency emphasized that the new tech office is structured to act as an overarching coordination engine rather than overlapping with current administrative bodies.
“The NHTDAO will serve as a meta-level national platform for coordinating the country’s digital-health agenda,” the statement read.
“It will reinforce, not replace, the existing statutory functions of relevant departments and agencies.”
Beyond institutional coordination, the agency will be tasked with standardizing clinical and operational data pathways to bridge the gap between private and public medical institutions across Nigeria.
“It will also harmonise and empower the public and private institutions across the health system, set the standards that connect them, and operationalise the National Digital Health Architecture, approved by the National Council on Health in November 2025,” it stated.
Dr. Adigwe, the new National Coordinator, transitions into the role with an extensive background in health technology and pharmaceutical innovation.
During his tenure at NIPRD, he leveraged science to catalyze interventions in artificial intelligence, translational research, and technology transfer. He successfully coordinated high-impact international funding, including a ¥300 million nanotechnology grant, an AFREXIMBank grant for Africa’s first Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) Training Facility, and the roadmap development for an €18 million European Union grant—the largest of its kind on the continent.
Notably, during the last pandemic, Adigwe globally showcased African science by undertaking the world’s first analysis to debunk claims about the “Covid Organics” preparation.
To ensure strict compliance and strategic direction, the President approved a high-powered Steering Committee to provide oversight for the new office.
The committee is co-chaired by Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, alongside Mr. Olaniyi Yusuf, Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG).
Other members of the steering committee include Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, who serves as Alternate Co-chair, and Ms. Kachollom Daju, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health.
They are joined by Mr. Idris Alubankudi Saliu, the Special Adviser to the President on Technology and Digital Economy; Dr. Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq, the National Coordinator of the SWAp Coordination Office; Dr. Abdu Mukhtar, the National Coordinator of the Presidential Initiative to Unlock Healthcare Value Chain; Dr. Muyi Aina, the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA); and Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, the Director General of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).
The committee also features the Director of Health Planning, Research and Statistics, a representative from the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Pharm Hamza Buhari representing industry and community interests, and six representatives of the State Commissioners of Health chosen from each of the six geopolitical zones.
The Presidency concluded that the establishment of the agency aligns directly with the administration’s broader economic and social development goals.