Tinubu approves National Health Technology agency, names Adigwe as coordinator

President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of the National Health Technology and Data Analytics Office (NHTDAO) to coordinate Nigeria’s digital health agenda and appointed Dr Obi Adigwe as its pioneer National Coordinator.

The Presidency said on Friday that the new office would be domiciled in the Office of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare and would serve as a national platform for driving health technology and data analytics across the country.

According to a statement by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the office “will serve as a meta-level national platform for coordinating the country’s digital-health agenda.”

The statement added that the NHTDAO “will reinforce, not replace, the existing statutory functions of relevant departments and agencies” while harmonising public and private institutions across the health sector, setting interoperability standards and implementing the National Digital Health Architecture approved by the National Council on Health in November 2025.

Adigwe, who currently serves as Director General of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), was appointed pioneer National Coordinator of the office.

According to the Presidency, Adigwe has leveraged science to drive interventions in artificial intelligence, translational research and technology transfer. He coordinated major projects, including a ¥300 million nanotechnology grant and an AFREXIMBank grant for Africa’s first Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) Training Facility. He also led the development of the roadmap that secured an €18 million European Union grant for pharmaceutical research.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the statement said Adigwe “globally showcased African science by undertaking the world’s first analysis to debunk claims about the Covid Organics preparation.”

The office will be guided by a Steering Committee co-chaired by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, and the Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Olaniyi Yusuf, alongside senior government officials, heads of health agencies, state representatives and an industry representative.