FG Launches Innovation Drive For Indigenous Healthcare Solutions

The federal government, on Monday, launched ‘National Grand Challenges Nigeria’, a national innovation programme aimed at revolutionizing Nigeria’s healthcare landscape through locally-developed solutions.

The initiative is part of the Global Grand Challenges network that focuses on maternal and child health challenges in the first phase.

Speaking at the event in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Vice President Kashim Shettima told the audience that the initiative became necessary following an urgency occasioned by the rapid pace at which the world is evolving in the realms of science and technology.

He stressed the importance of contextualizing solutions to national challenges. He said the initiative will promote groundbreaking research and build local expertise, among others.

“This initiative is more than a response to problems; it is an avenue to promote groundbreaking research, build local expertise, form strategic partnerships, and engage communities in co-creating culturally relevant solutions,” Shettima said.

He explained that the programme would integrate with existing government healthcare initiatives, including the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) and the Nutrition 774 programme.

“What Grand Challenges Nigeria promises is transformative: a Nigeria where every child has access to proper nutrition, where every family can rely on the quality of our healthcare system, and where our public health metrics continue to improve year after year,” he stated.

The Vice President explained that Nigeria’s gateway to innovation is rooted in recognizing our place within the global community, stressing that “we must believe that our progress is intertwined with the progress of the rest of the world.”

According to his spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima emphasized that the Tinubu administration is “steadfast in its resolve to provide the support needed to turn our aspirations into lifelines for our people.”

In his keynote remarks, Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, said the Grand Challenges Nigeria is aimed at developing local solutions to critical issues confronting Nigerians.

The Minister noted that the model aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s 8-point agenda using innovation to drive prosperity and growth, and in the process, empowering researchers and innovators.

Nnaji said the ministry remains committed to fostering growth, using innovation, even as he assured that the Grand Challenges Nigeria will prioritize key goals investment in education and environmentally sustainable projects, among others.

On his part, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Nutrition and Food Security, Hon. Chike Okafor, commended the Federal Government for the launch of the initiative, noting that the programme would go a long way in complementing existing efforts in addressing food insecurity and malnutrition in Nigeria.

He pledged the support of the House of Representatives for the Grand Challenges Nigeria framework, especially as it impacts food security and nutrition across the country, noting that he was looking forward to a rewarding collaboration with stakeholders to deliver on its vision.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Nutrition Society of Nigeria, His Royal Highness Muhammad Sanusi II, said the responsibility of addressing the issues of malnutrition and food insecurity requires focused efforts and collective actions, which, according to him, the Grand Challenges Nigeria initiative is designed to contain.

He expressed hope that by adopting the framework of the Grand Challenges Nigeria, Nigerians would be at the forefront of finding solutions to problems in the country, thanking the Federal Government for believing in the efficacy of the initiative.

In the same vein, the President of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, Prof. Salisu Abubakar, commended the launch of the initiative, noting that it would help address health challenges by leveraging locally resourced and researched solutions and approaches.

He pledged the support of the society in ensuring that solutions adopted through the programme are inclusive and adaptable to Nigerians, especially in improving their health and wellbeing.