Imagine a world where a simple, twenty-minute surgery can keep a child in school or help a grandfather stay independent. This is the reality for millions living in Nigeria. The Christian Blind Mission (CBM) has launched a major initiative called “SightQuest Nigeria” with €15 million (about ₦25 billion) to improve eye care across 14 Nigerian states. This ten-year plan, running from January 2026 to 2035, aims to reduce avoidable blindness.
CBM’s CEO, Dr. Rainer Brockhaus, announced the project in Abuja this February. The theme is “A Journey Towards Inclusive Eye Health.” The project is significant because it focuses on long-term change rather than short-term aid.
- Funding: €15 million (about ₦25 billion)
- Timeline: 2026–2035
- Goal: Increase effective Cataract Surgical Coverage by 30% in target states by 2030
The project will initially focus on five states: Bauchi, Imo, Jigawa, Plateau, and Oyo. It will later expand to cover nine more states, making a total of fourteen. These states were chosen because they have high rates of vision problems and a lack of services.
According to the National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey, about 1.13 million adults over 40 in Nigeria are blind. Including those with moderate to severe visual impairment, that number rises to 4.25 million. The North-West geopolitical zone, which includes Jigawa, accounts for 28.6% of all blind adults in Nigeria. This explains why CBM is focusing on northern states like Jigawa and Bauchi.
Blindness has a significant economic impact. Dr. Iziaq Salako, the Minister of State for Health, mentioned that visual impairment costs the global economy $401 billion each year in lost productivity. In Nigeria, where many rely on sight for work, this loss can be devastating for families.
What is “Inclusive Eye Health”?
The strength of the “SightQuest” program lies in its approach. It uses a framework called Inclusive Eye Health (IEH). Unlike traditional missions that perform surgeries and then leave, IEH aims to strengthen the overall health system by focusing on:
- Accessibility: Making clinics easy to access for people with disabilities, such as adding ramps and providing sign language interpreters.
- Integration: Incorporating eye care into general health services so that patients can get eye screenings during regular visits for other health issues.
- Workforce Training: Training Community Health Extension Workers (CHEWs) in rural areas to detect early signs of eye disease in children.
“Now I Can See My Grandchildren Again”
Behind the ₦25 billion investment lies a wealth of personal stories that highlight the restoration of human dignity. For instance, Mrs. Olawuyi, a senior nursing officer previously trained by CBM, shared how the program changed her professional life: “Before the training, I never worked on eye care. Now, I can screen the eyes of newborn children”.
The impact on patients is profound. Take the case of elderly widows in rural communities who, upon removing their bandages after a 20-minute surgery, often weep with the realisation: “Now I can see my grandchildren again.” In Nigeria, where cataracts cause the most blindness, these surgeries do more than restore sight; they enable people to work, gain independence, and enjoy seeing their loved ones.
This initiative supports the Federal Government’s push for better eye health. It aligns with plans to build a specialised ₦3.5 billion eye care hospital with Lions Club International, which will also include diabetes and cancer research centres. As Senate President Godswill Akpabio noted at the SightQuest launch, this goes beyond a standard health intervention; it is a strategic effort to close the systemic gaps that have left millions in the dark for too long.
With the Federal Government aiming to provide free cataract surgeries for 25,000 Nigerians by the end of 2026, the partnership with CBM ensures that this momentum won’t just be a flash in the pan, but a decade-long shift toward a clearer future.
