By Festus Fifen

President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of the Sector-wide Coordinating Office-Programme Management Unit (SCO-PMU) domiciled in the Office of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.

In a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President Ajuri Ngelale, this move is to ensure efficient, transparent, and accountable management of external grants mobilized towards the implementation of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII),

The statement added that The Sector-wide Coordinating Office-Programme Management Unit (SCO-PMU) will report to a Steering Committee/Ministerial Oversight Committee chaired by the Minister, including the Minister of State, Permanent Secretary; Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, and relevant development partners.

” The SCO-PMU will serve as the secretariat and delivery unit for the NHSRII and is to be headed by a national coordinator (NC).

” The functions of the SCO-PMU include programme management, monitoring and evaluation, engagement and supervision of Independent Verification Agents (IVAs) for NHSRII programmes, and fiduciary management, among others.

” Consequently, the President has approved the appointment of Dr. Muntaqa Umar Sadiq as the National Coordinator of the Sector-wide Coordinating Office-Programme Management Unit.” Ajuri said.

Dr. Umar Sadiq has over 17 years of experience in public health, impact investing, investment banking, energy, and climate financing across the health, finance, climate, and energy sectors.

He has served as Head of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare; Chief Executive Officer of the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria; Head of the Nigeria Energy Transition Office, and Private Sector Engagement Adviser at the World Bank.

Dr. Umar Sadiq is a doctoral candidate (in public health) at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He holds an M.Phil in Bioscience Enterprise from the University of Cambridge and also holds a medical science/MBBS degree from the Imperial College, London.

The Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) was unveiled on December 12, 2023, following the adoption of the sector-wide policy by the National Council on Health in November 2023.

The NHSRII is a bold and transformative initiative aimed at improving both population health outcomes and the country’s pool of human capital — with the primary objectives of saving lives, minimizing physical and financial pains, and ensuring the health of all Nigerians.

So far, $2.2 billion has been mobilized in external financing to catalyze the implementation of the NHSRII through financial commitments from various development partners.