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.
According to a statement issued Friday by Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity), this is to ensure efficient, transparent, and accountable management of external grants mobilised towards the implementation of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII).
The statement explained 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, according to the statement, the President has approved the appointment of Dr. Muntaqa Umar Sadiq as the National Coordinator of the Sector-wide Coordinating Office-Programme Management Unit.
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 a medical science/MBBS degree from 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 statement observed that 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, minimising physical and financial pains, and ensuring the health of all Nigerians.
So far, $2.2 billion has been mobilised in external financing to catalyse the implementation of the NHSRII through financial commitments from various development partners, the statement said.
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