Nigeria has marked a significant milestone in its global health diplomacy with its participation in the BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting held in Brasília, Brazil. The Nigerian delegation to the high-level meeting was led by the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Kunle Salako.
This development comes just months after Nigeria’s admission in January as a partner country to BRICS+, a recognition of the country’s strategic role in Africa and growing influence on the global stage under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
BRICS+ an expanded version of the BRICS bloc originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa now includes other influential countries such as Indonesia. The group represented nearly half of the world’s population and continues to advocate for reforms in global governance and greater inclusion of the Global South.
During the meeting, Nigeria joined other member countries in endorsing a ministerial declaration that emphasized key priorities in global health. The declaration reflected several focus areas of the Tinubu administration’s health agenda, including digital innovation in healthcare, local production of vaccines and pharmaceuticals, improved data governance, and enhanced preparedness for disease outbreaks.
The Nigerian delegation also took part in a special session on promoting healthy dietary practices as a strategy for preventing non-communicable diseases. The engagement served not only to contribute to global dialogue but also to showcase Nigeria’s ongoing reforms and milestones in the health sector.
Beyond the main sessions, the meeting provided Nigeria an opportunity to further its South-South cooperation agenda. High-level bilateral talks were held with Brazil to advance the Nigeria-Brazil Strategic Dialogue Mechanism, particularly in the area of public health. Discussions are expected to lead to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding during the upcoming visit of the Brazilian Vice President to Nigeria.
In a separate engagement, Nigerian officials opened discussions with representatives from China aimed at addressing electricity challenges in the country’s health sector and exploring areas of collaboration on phytomedicine development. Chinese companies have expressed interest in participating in the National Dialogue on Power in the Health Sector, slated for later this year.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has credited President Tinubu’s international diplomacy for creating opportunities for meaningful partnerships and investments in Nigeria’s health system, noted that the country’s growing engagement in multilateral health forums is a step toward building a more resilient and inclusive national health infrastructure.
