The Federal Government has called for stronger private-sector investment in eye health to reduce preventable blindness, improve productivity and strengthen Nigeria’s human capital.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, made the call on Tuesday in Abuja at a Public-Private Sector Roundtable on Eye Health, themed, “GIFT of Sight: Mobilising Partnerships and Sustainable Funding towards Transforming Eye Care in Nigeria.”
Salako said eye health should no longer be regarded as solely a health-sector issue, stressing that good vision was fundamental to education, workplace productivity, economic growth and national development.
He said about 24 million Nigerians live with vision loss, much of which was linked to preventable or treatable conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, uncorrected refractive errors and digital eye strain.
The minister urged businesses in the banking, manufacturing, telecommunications, energy and other sectors to view investment in eye health as both a social responsibility and a strategic economic decision.
He called on the private sector to explore innovative financing mechanisms, including blended finance, social impact funds, co-financing arrangements and concessional loans, to expand eye-care infrastructure and improve access to quality services.
Salako also urged companies to channel their Corporate Social Responsibility investments into structured national programmes, including school eye-health initiatives, rural surgical outreaches and permanent community-based eye-care centres.
He specifically encouraged telecommunications companies to deploy their digital infrastructure to expand tele-ophthalmology, remote screening and mobile diagnostic services.
The minister further challenged Nigerian manufacturers to reduce the country’s dependence on imported eye-care products by investing in the local production of spectacle frames, lenses, ophthalmic medicines and other essential consumables.
According to him, increased domestic production would make eye-care commodities more affordable and accessible, while creating jobs, strengthening local supply chains and contributing to Nigeria’s economic development.
Salako highlighted the progress recorded under the Federal Government’s JigiBola 2.0 initiative, saying the programme had, in just over a year, delivered more than two million free eye screenings and 1.5 million free spectacles.
He added that more than 2,200 Primary Health Care workers had been trained, while over 800 PHC centres across 16 states had been activated to provide primary eye-care services.
The minister said the next phase of JigiBola 2.0 would extend services to more than one million Nigerians in an additional 10 states, while the Renewed Hope Health Connect initiative was targeting 25,000 free cataract surgeries by 2027.
He commended existing private-sector interventions, particularly the partnership between First City Monument Bank and the Tulsi Chanrai Foundation, which he said had reached more than 400,000 Nigerians.
Salako urged other corporate organisations to replicate such initiatives, noting the need to address the eye-health challenges of a population of more than 200 million people.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment, under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, to creating an enabling environment for sustainable public-private partnerships in eye health.
The minister also called on development partners and civil society organisations to provide catalytic support, technical expertise and innovation to help Nigeria move from donor-dependent interventions to a locally financed and sustainable eye-health system.
“A nation cannot march into economic prosperity if it is walking blind,” he said.
‘VISION IS CRITICAL TO PRODUCTIVITY’
In her opening remarks, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of FCMB, Mrs Yemisi Edun, represented by Dr Diron Olojo, said eye health was not merely a medical concern but a critical component of education, productivity, economic inclusion and human dignity.
She said preventable and treatable visual impairment continued to affect individuals, families and communities, adding that gaps in awareness, skilled personnel, equipment and access to services must be addressed through sustained collaboration.
Edun highlighted the bank’s partnership with the Tulsi Chanrai Foundation through the Priceless Gift of Sight Initiative, launched in 2009.
She said the initiative had provided free eye-care services to more than 400,000 Nigerians as of July 2024 through eye testing, optical services, surgeries and disease management.
According to her, the experience demonstrated the impact that long-term public-private partnerships could have on healthcare delivery.
Edun reaffirmed FCMB’s commitment to expanding access to eye care and urged stakeholders at the roundtable to agree on practical priorities, including identifying communities and services with the greatest unmet needs, developing sustainable financing plans and establishing clear timelines and measurable indicators for accountability.
EYE HEALTH MUST BE PART OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT — OKOLO
In her presentation titled, “The True Value of Vision: Transforming Health, Economy, and Human Potential,” the National Coordinator, National Eye, Ear and Sensory Function Health Programme, Dr Oteri Okolo, said the meeting was aimed at addressing eye health as a fundamental component of human dignity, development, prosperity and social potential.
Okolo said eye health had historically been treated as a secondary priority compared with acute diseases and maternal health, stressing that vision was essential to learning, working, communication and navigating everyday life.
She said the National Eye, Ear and Sensory Functions Health Programme had continued to integrate eye health into the broader national health architecture.
“Our strategic focus has been guided by the National Eye Health Policy and Strategic Plan, with Integrated People-Centred Eye Care (IPCEC) as our strategy, ensuring that eye care is not an isolated specialty, but an essential component of Universal Health Coverage,” she said.
SIGHT SAVERS, NGDOs SEEK ACTIONABLE SOLUTIONS
In a goodwill message, represented by Prof. Joy Shuaibu, Country Director of Sightsavers and Coordinator of the Eye Health Non-Governmental Development Organisation Coalition, the coalition commended the Federal Government for engaging relevant stakeholders in the sector.
“On behalf of the NGDO Coalition for Eye Health in Nigeria, we are very pleased with the efforts and commitment of the National Eye, Ear, and Sensory Function Health Programme because the leadership has strategically engaged relevant actors in this space,” she said.
She urged stakeholders to focus on actionable solutions, innovative financing and scalable partnerships capable of accelerating progress towards universal access to eye-health services across Nigeria.
The Head of Vision Care for Development Foundation, supported by Sterling Oil, Mimansa Shulala, described the theme of the roundtable as timely, saying restoring sight was not only about healthcare but also about restoring opportunity, dignity, productivity and hope to underserved communities.
She said the foundation, with support from SIPCON and the Tulsi Chanrai Foundation, had screened more than 17,000 people in underserved communities over the past two and a half years and identified more than 3,000 people requiring intervention.
Shulala said the foundation had facilitated more than 1,500 cataract and other eye surgeries, while more than 1,000 surgeries had been carried out in partnership with the Tulsi Chanrai Foundation at its Calabar facility.
She said the foundation’s objective was to strengthen government systems, build local capacity and develop models that could be sustained and scaled.
“This is the strength of public-private partnership, where government provides leadership and system, SIPCON and Sterling Oil provide support and resources, TCF brings its expertise and technical knowledge, while VCDF channels the programme to the community. When these strengths come together, we will move beyond individual interventions to build sustainable solutions for communities,” she said.
The roundtable brought together government officials, healthcare providers, private-sector organisations, foundations and other stakeholders to strengthen collaboration towards a more accessible, equitable and sustainable eye-care system in Nigeria.
