Blackouts: FG Targets 24-Hour Power Supply for Hospitals by 2027

The Federal Government has approved a new financing plan and institutional reforms aimed at improving electricity supply in health facilities across the country, with a target of providing uninterrupted power to at least 30 per cent of hospitals and other health centres by the end of 2027.

The approval followed the third meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee of the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative, a programme created by the Presidency and jointly managed by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Federal Ministry of Power.

Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, said the committee approved measures to attract investment into healthcare electrification. It also cleared a facility energy management framework and selected eight private sector proposals for further discussions after reviewing about 70 submissions received during the National Healthcare Electrification Investor Matchmaking Week held in Lagos.

According to the minister, the government is building a system that will provide reliable electricity to hospitals through partnerships with private investors while ensuring proper management of energy facilities.

He disclosed that Energy Management Teams have already been established in federal tertiary hospitals, while state governments have been encouraged to create similar structures in their health facilities.

Salako said the programme would also receive dedicated budget allocations, while a full-time Project Coordination Unit would oversee implementation across the country. He added that different energy solutions would be adopted depending on the location and needs of each hospital instead of using one method nationwide.

He explained that the initiative has made progress since it was introduced about eight months ago, with governance structures already in place while electrification projects continue at primary, secondary and tertiary health facilities.

The minister revealed that the Rural Electrification Agency has already installed containerised solar power systems in about 100 hospitals across Nigeria as part of the programme.

Speaking on the country’s electricity challenges, Salako said ending blackouts in hospitals is connected to the wider reforms taking place in the power sector. He expressed confidence that the ongoing changes would gradually improve electricity supply across the country.

Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, said the government is now focused on delivering completed projects instead of making announcements. He noted that Nigerians should begin to see hospitals with stable electricity that no longer depend on generators during emergencies.

According to him, dependable electricity will improve healthcare delivery, support emergency services and reduce the burden created by frequent power failures in medical facilities.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Power, Mahmuda Mamman, said stable electricity is necessary for operating medical equipment, preserving vaccines, running laboratories and improving emergency response in hospitals.

He described the Nigeria Power for Health Initiative as a joint effort involving the Federal Government, development partners and private investors to solve one of the biggest infrastructure problems affecting Nigeria’s healthcare system.

For many years, poor electricity supply has forced public hospitals to depend heavily on diesel generators to power operating theatres, intensive care units, laboratories, blood banks, oxygen plants and vaccine storage facilities. Rising fuel and electricity costs have also increased the financial burden on many hospitals.

The Nigeria Power for Health Initiative was approved by President Bola Tinubu in December 2025 following the National Power for Health Dialogue.

Under the programme, the government plans to deploy energy solutions such as solar mini-grids, gas-powered systems and other renewable technologies while creating a national database of healthcare electrification projects to improve coordination and attract more private investment into the sector.