Nigeria has called for a more equitable and sustainable global health security system, urging countries to place greater emphasis on disease prevention, national preparedness and international cooperation in dealing with future pandemics.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, made the call while presenting Nigeria’s national statement on behalf of President Bola Tinubu at a high-level meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response held during the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Salako said Nigeria’s experience with infectious disease outbreaks had reinforced the need to strengthen routine public health systems rather than wait for emergencies before building response capacity.
“We believe that prevention is preparedness and that the strength of everyday public health systems determines how effectively nations detect threats early, respond rapidly, and maintain essential services during crises,” the minister said.
He said Nigeria had made progress in strengthening its legal and institutional framework for health security, while expanding digital disease surveillance, genomic sequencing and multi-hazard preparedness.
According to him, the country has also institutionalised the 7-1-7 approach, which seeks to ensure that outbreaks are detected within seven days, notified within one day and investigated and responded to within seven days.
Salako disclosed that Nigeria’s public health laboratory network now covers all 36 states, while Public Health Emergency Operations Centres are being used to coordinate responses to outbreaks, including Lassa fever, cholera, diphtheria and meningitis.
He added that Nigeria’s Joint External Evaluation score, which measures a country’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to public health threats, increased from 39 per cent in 2017 to 54 per cent in 2023.
The minister said the Federal Government was also strengthening the One Health approach, antimicrobial resistance governance, infection prevention and control programmes, as well as emergency response manpower at both federal and state levels.
He identified the $250m World Bank Health Security Programme as another major intervention supporting Nigeria’s efforts to improve its health security infrastructure.
“Through the World Bank’s US$250 million Health Security Programme, federal and State level capacities are being built under a One Health approach,” Salako said.
The minister outlined five areas Nigeria considers critical to effective pandemic preparedness: stronger national ownership and governance; greater emphasis on prevention; integrated and resilient One Health systems; equitable financing and access to healthcare products; and stronger regional and international cooperation.
On global health equity, Salako said developing countries should not be expected to provide access to pathogens and biological materials for research without receiving fair and predictable benefits from the resulting vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics.
Nigeria, he said, also supports improved access to sustainable financing for low- and middle-income countries, alongside technology transfer and greater investment in local pharmaceutical and medical manufacturing, particularly across Africa.
Salako further called for pandemic preparedness strategies to take into account diseases that continue to impose a significant burden on developing countries, including tuberculosis, malaria and HIV.
He said adequate funding for existing disease-control programmes remained necessary even as countries prepare for future pandemics.
The minister also urged the international community to give antimicrobial resistance a central place in pandemic preparedness, describing AMR as both an existing public health challenge and a factor capable of worsening future health emergencies.
He announced that Nigeria would host the fifth Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance in December 2026.
According to him, the conference will be the first edition of the meeting to be held in Africa and would provide an opportunity to accelerate measurable One Health interventions while drawing greater attention to the priorities of developing countries.
Salako also stressed the importance of communities in preparing for and responding to health emergencies, saying public confidence cannot be built only after an outbreak has occurred.
He called for continued investment in risk communication and community engagement, social listening, hygiene promotion and measures to tackle misinformation between emergencies.
The minister reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to improving its national and regional capacity to prevent, detect and respond to public health threats.
He said the country would continue to support efforts to establish a global pandemic preparedness framework based on equity, sustainability, accountability and respect for national priorities.
“National ownership and global solidarity must advance together,” Salako stressed.
