President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of the Sector-wide Coordinating Office-Programme Management Unit (SCO-PMU) within the Office of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.
According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity), Chief Ajuri Ngelale, this development aims to ensure the efficient, transparent, and accountable management of external grants mobilized for the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII).
The SCO-PMU will report to a Steering Committee/Ministerial Oversight Committee chaired by the Minister of Health, and will include the Minister of State, the Permanent Secretary, representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, and relevant development partners.
The SCO-PMU will function as the secretariat and delivery unit for the NHSRII and will be headed by a National Coordinator. Its responsibilities will include programme management, monitoring and evaluation, engagement and supervision of Independent Verification Agents (IVAs) for NHSRII programmes, and fiduciary management, among other tasks.
President Tinubu has appointed Dr. Muntaqa Umar Sadiq as the National Coordinator of the SCO-PMU. Dr. Umar Sadiq brings over 17 years of experience in public health, impact investing, investment banking, energy, and climate financing across various sectors. His previous roles include Head of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, CEO of the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria, Head of the Nigeria Energy Transition Office, and Private Sector Engagement Adviser at the World Bank.
Dr. Umar Sadiq is currently a doctoral candidate in public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He holds an M.Phil in Bioscience Enterprise from the University of Cambridge and an MBBS degree from Imperial College, London.
The NHSRII, unveiled on December 12, 2023, after the National Council on Health adopted the sector-wide policy in November 2023, aims to improve population health outcomes and the country’s human capital. Its primary objectives are to save lives, minimize physical and financial pain, and ensure the health of all Nigerians. To date, $2.2 billion has been mobilized in external financing to support the implementation of the NHSRII through financial commitments from various development partners.
