President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of the National Health Technology and Data Analytics Office (NHTDAO) and appointed Dr Obi Adigwe as its pioneer National Coordinator.
The approval was announced in a statement issued on Friday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, the new office will operate under the Office of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare and serve as the country’s central platform for coordinating Nigeria’s digital health agenda.
“The NHTDAO will serve as a meta-level national platform for coordinating the country’s digital-health agenda,” the statement said.
It explained that the office would complement, rather than replace, the statutory responsibilities of existing government agencies in the health sector.
“It will reinforce, not replace, the existing statutory functions of relevant departments and agencies.
“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.”
The presidency said Adigwe brings extensive experience to the role, having served as Director General of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, where he led several initiatives involving artificial intelligence, technology transfer and translational research.
According to the statement, he coordinated major projects, including the ¥300 million Nanotechnology grant, the AFREXIMBank grant for Africa’s first Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Training Facility, and the development of a roadmap that secured an €18 million European Union grant. It also noted that he conducted what it described as the world’s first scientific analysis debunking claims surrounding the Covid Organics preparation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The statement further announced the composition of the office’s Steering Committee, which will provide strategic direction and oversight. The committee will be 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.
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, and representatives of key health agencies, the National Information Technology Development Agency, state commissioners of health from the six geopolitical zones and industry stakeholders.
The presidency said President Tinubu expects the new office to drive Nigeria’s transition to a modern digital healthcare system.
“The President expects NHTDAO to accelerate Nigeria’s transition to a secure, interoperable and data-driven health system that improves outcomes for all citizens, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration,” the statement added.
