2027: Nigeria Health Watch Unveils Health Promise Tracker
Nigeria Health Watch has launched a Health Manifesto Tracker to document and assess healthcare promises by political parties and candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections. The initiative was unveiled in Abuja during the organization's Health as a Political Issue Breakfast Meeting, which brought together policymakers, political actors, civil society groups, development partners, health advocates and the media. Speaking on the tracker, the organisation’s Senior Manager for Monitoring and Evaluation, Solomon Oladimeji, said it would capture, analyze and publicly report health commitments made during the election period, while assessing whether they are specific, measurable and achievable. He said implementation would be monitored after the elections using government data, public dashboards and other sources, with citizens also able to submit feedback and inquiries. Oladimeji cited the government’s commitment to revitalize 17,000 primary healthcare centers as an example of how progress could be measured.
Nigeria Health Watch also raised concerns over the country’s low investment in healthcare. Oladimeji said health received about 3.7 per cent of the 2026 national budget, compared with the 15 per cent target under the 2001 Abuja Declaration, while states allocated an average of about 5.2 per cent of their budgets to health, with actual spending lower. He linked inadequate funding to poor health outcomes, including maternal and under-five mortality, and the heavy financial burden on households from out-of-pocket healthcare payments. Managing Director Vivianne Ihekweazu said health is ultimately a political choice, as decisions on funding, medicines, maternal care, vaccination and health insurance directly affect Nigerians. She said previous Vote for Health Nigeria campaigns ahead of the 2019 and 2023 elections would be expanded in 2027, with the organisation now focused on documenting candidates’ promises and tracking their delivery after the elections.
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