The World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO) have jointly endorsed Nigeria’s Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) model as a leading framework for sustainable and accountable health sector reform.
The endorsement came during a high-level dialogue on “Scaling Health Reforms” at the 2025 World Bank–IMF Annual Meetings in Washington, D.C., where global health and finance leaders gathered to discuss strategies for expanding healthcare access, boosting local pharmaceutical production, and improving primary health systems in developing nations.
Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, presented the country’s progress under the SWAp initiative, emphasizing how it aligns government and donor investments around shared national health priorities. The approach, he said, ensures that resources are used efficiently and directed toward the most pressing needs.
According to Pate, the results have been transformative. In the first half of 2025 alone, primary healthcare facilities supported through the SWAp model recorded over 80 million patient visits — a fourfold increase compared to the same period in 2023. He credited this progress to the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which places healthcare access at the center of Nigeria’s development and productivity goals.
A Model for Other Nations
Officials from both the World Bank and WHO praised Nigeria’s coordinated approach, describing the SWAp model as a practical framework for countries seeking to strengthen health systems and improve funding transparency. They also pledged continued technical and financial support to help Nigeria expand the model across more states.
International observers say the endorsement underscores growing confidence in Nigeria’s ability to lead health reforms in Africa. By pooling both domestic and external resources into a unified results-based framework, the SWAp approach reduces duplication, promotes efficiency, and accelerates progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
How It Started
The Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) was officially launched in 2024 through a $1.2 billion collaboration between the Federal Ministry of Health, state governments, and development partners.
At the time, Dr. Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq, the National Coordinator of SWAp, said the initiative was designed to tackle long-standing systemic challenges — including inadequate funding, workforce shortages, poor data systems, and weak infrastructure — by bringing all stakeholders under one unified reform agenda.
The model’s success so far suggests that Nigeria’s experiment in sector-wide alignment and accountability may become a reference point for other developing countries navigating similar healthcare challenges.
