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.

Consequently, the President has approved the appointment of Dr. Muntaqa Umar Sadiq as the National Coordinator of the SCO-PMU.

Tinubu said the move 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 President further explained that the 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.

SCO-PMU, according to him, will also serve as the secretariat and delivery unit for the NHSRII and is to be headed by a national coordinator.

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.

A statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the president, Ajuri Ngelale, said that Dr 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 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 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 Imperial College, London.

The 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, minimising physical and financial pain, and ensuring the health of all Nigerians.

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