By MyEngineers
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the creation of the National Health Technology and Data Analytics Office (NHTDAO) and appointed Dr Obi Adigwe as its pioneer National Coordinator, in a move aimed at unifying Nigeria’s approach to digital health.
The new office will sit within the Office of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare and is designed to function as a national platform coordinating the country’s broader digital health agenda. Rather than taking over the duties of existing health agencies, the NHTDAO is meant to reinforce their statutory roles, while harmonising public and private institutions across the health sector and setting shared standards to connect them.
A key part of its mandate will be operationalising the National Digital Health Architecture, a framework approved by the National Council on Health in November 2025.
Dr Adigwe brings to the role his experience as Director General of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, where he worked on initiatives spanning artificial intelligence, translational research, and technology transfer.
Among his notable achievements, he coordinated a 300 million Yuan nanotechnology grant and an AFREXIMBank grant that established Africa’s first API Training Facility, and led roadmap development behind an 18 million Euro European Union grant, described as the largest of its kind for the thematic area on the continent. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he led the first global scientific analysis examining claims around the Covid Organics preparation.
The NHTDAO will be guided by a Steering Committee co-chaired by Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, and Mr Olaniyi Yusuf, Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group. Other members include Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, as Alternate Co-chair; Ms Kachollom Daju, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry; Mr Idris Alubankudi Saliu, Special Adviser to the President on Technology and Digital Economy; Dr Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq of the SWAp Coordination Office; Dr Abdu Mukhtar of the Presidential Initiative to Unlock Healthcare Value Chain; Dr Muyi Aina of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency; and Dr Kelechi Ohiri of the National Health Insurance Authority.
The committee also includes the Ministry’s Director of Health Planning, Research and Statistics, a representative from the National Information Technology Development Agency, six State Commissioners of Health representing each geopolitical zone, and Pharm Hamza Buhari, representing industry and community stakeholders.
According to the Presidency, the office is expected to accelerate Nigeria’s shift toward a secure, interoperable, and data driven health system, in line with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Nigeria’s health sector has long struggled with fragmented data systems, where hospitals, insurance bodies, and research institutions often operate with little ability to share information with each other. A coordinating office focused specifically on technology and data analytics addresses that gap directly, rather than adding another layer of bureaucracy duplicating existing agency functions.
If implemented as described, better data interoperability could mean faster disease outbreak tracking, more efficient allocation of health resources, and improved continuity of care for patients moving between different health facilities. It could also make it easier to track health outcomes nationally, something that has historically been difficult given Nigeria’s scattered record keeping systems.
Dr Adigwe’s appointment is notable given his track record securing large international research grants and his public scientific work during the pandemic, suggesting the administration is leaning on a candidate with both administrative and research credibility. As with most newly created offices, its real impact will depend on how well it coordinates with the many existing agencies it is meant to support rather than duplicate.