Tinubu approves creation of NHTDAO, names pioneer coordinator

President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of the National Health Technology and Data Analytics Office (NHTDAO) , a new agency designed to coordinate Nigeria’s digital health agenda.

The President also appointed the Director-General of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Dr Obi Adigwe, as the pioneer National Coordinator of the office.

This was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

According to the statement, the office will be domiciled in the Office of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare.

It said the agency would serve as a national platform for coordinating the country’s digital health agenda without replacing the statutory functions of existing health institutions. “It will reinforce, not replace, the existing statutory functions of relevant departments and agencies.

“It will also harmonise and empower the public and private institutions across the health system, set the standards that connect them, and operationalise the National Digital Health Architecture, approved by the National Council on Health in November 2025,” the statement read.

The Presidency said Adigwe would head the office as its pioneer National Coordinator. It added that the office would be overseen by a steering committee co-chaired by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and the Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Olaniyi Yusuf.

The committee also includes the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Kachollom Daju; the President’s Special Adviser on Technology and Digital Economy, Idris Alubankudi Saliu; the National Coordinator of the Sector-Wide Approach Coordination Office, Dr Muntaqa Umar-Sadiq; the National Coordinator of the Presidential Initiative to Unlock the Healthcare Value Chain, Dr Abdu Mukhtar; the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Muyi Aina; and the Director-General of the National Health Insurance Authority, Dr Kelechi Ohiri.

Other members are the Director of Health Planning, Research and Statistics in the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, a representative of the National Information Technology Development Agency, six representatives of state commissioners of health drawn from the six geopolitical zones and Pharm. Hamza Buhari, representing industry and community stakeholders.

“The President expects NHTDAO to accelerate Nigeria’s transition to a secure, interoperable and data-driven health system that improves outcomes for all citizens, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration,” the statement added.

𝕤𝕖𝕖 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖/𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕧𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕠 𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖