TETFund: FG to Rehabilitate 18 Medical Schools with N110bn Investment

TETFund: FG to Rehabilitate 18 Medical Schools with N110bn Investment

Nigeria’s Federal Government is investing N110 billion (approximately $230 million USD) in a High Impact Intervention Project to upgrade medical schools across the country. 

The project, which forms a key pillar of the Nigeria educational sector renewal initiative, was unveiled during an inauguration of Ministerial Committee on TETFund High Impact Intervention Project in Abuja on Tuesday.

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Speaking at the inauguration, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, emphasised that the intervention was a direct response to the urgent need to expand Nigeria’s capacity to train medical professionals.

He said, this Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) initiative will rehabilitate 18 universities, focusing on infrastructure improvements in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and nursing programs. 

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According to him the project aims to address a critical shortage of medical professionals, currently estimated at 300,000 doctors, by increasing medical school admissions and improving training facilities.

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The funding will cover infrastructure upgrades (N70 billion), new hostels (N15 billion), and the construction of eight state-of-the-art medical simulation labs (in six institutions). Each participating university will receive approximately N4 billion (around $8.4 million USD), including N750 million (roughly $1.6 million USD) specifically for hostel construction. 

A newly formed ministerial committee will oversee the project, ensuring funds are used effectively and project goals are met.

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He charged the newly inaugurated ministerial monitoring committee on terms of reference, including ensuring adherence to project goals, monitoring the proper use of funds, and maintaining detailed records, among others.

Alausa also highlighted the administration’s wider education agenda, which includes boosting STEM and vocational education, deepening research capacity, and strengthening academia-industry-government collaboration.

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Earlier, the TETFund Executive Secretary, Sonny Echono, commended President Bola Tinubu for his visionary leadership and steadfast commitment to strengthening the country’s health sector through strategic investments in tertiary education.

“This intervention is set to transform medical education by rehabilitating lecture halls and laboratories, ultimately boosting our capacity to train more doctors, nurses, dentists, and pharmacists.”

“The intervention comes at a time when Nigeria’s healthcare system continues to struggle with challenges such as the “Japa Syndrome”.

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“This has led to the mass exodus of qualified medical professionals, poor doctor-to-patient ratios, and ill-equipped training facilities.

“These persistent issues have significantly hindered the country’s ability to provide quality healthcare,” he said.

Echono explained further, that the intervention would go a long way in addressing some of the structural and manpower challenges that had plagued the health sector for decades.

Also, the Chairman, Board of Trustee, TETFund,  Aminu Masari, called for the sustainability of the medical intervention to help increase medical personnel to the extent of exporting them and earning foreign exchange.

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The Voice Media Trust (VMT NEWS) reports that members of inaugurated committee comprise Prof. Suleiman Alabi, Chairman of the Association of Provosts of Colleges of Medicine as Chairman of the committee.

Also, Dr Oranu Ibekie, Chairman of the Education Committee, Association of Nigerian Physicians in America as Vice Chairman of the committee.

Others are representatives from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, Nursing and Midwifery Council, TETFund, Federal Ministry of Education, and an international consulting firm.

The beneficiary institutions include: University of Jos, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, University of Benin, Imo State University, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo State, and Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University, Katsina.

Others are University of Calabar, Benue State University, University of Maiduguri, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Gombe State University, University of Nigeria, and Bayelsa State University.

Also, in the list are Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, University of Ibadan and University of Lagos.

The initiative is intended to combat the “Japa Syndrome,” the emigration of skilled Nigerian medical professionals, and improve the nation’s healthcare system. 

The project is part of a broader government effort to enhance STEM education, research capabilities, and collaboration between academia, industry, and government. 

The 18 beneficiary institutions represent a cross-section of universities across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.