The failure of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to adhere to Nigeria’s commitment to allocate at least 15 per cent of the annual budget to the health sector, as pledged in the African Union’s ‘Abuja Declaration’ of 2001, has drawn criticism and concern.
Since the inception of the commitment 22 years ago, Nigeria, like many other African nations, has consistently fallen short of this target, struggling to meet the designated benchmark for health sector funding.
Despite expectations that President Tinubu would prioritize healthcare funding and potentially steer the country towards meeting the AU commitment, the 2024 budget, named ‘Budget of Renewed Hope’, allocated just over five per cent to the health sector, dashing hopes for a significant stride toward the pledged 15 per cent.
A breakdown of the proposed 2024 budget, totalling N27.5 trillion, reveals that the health sector received N1.38 trillion (5.03 per cent).
This allocation encompasses healthcare funding under the service vote at N155.65 billion, health capital budget at N434.79 billion, health recurrent at N667.38 billion, and a statutory transfer to the primary healthcare fund at N125.74 billion.
Although the 2024 budget shows an 18.49 per cent increase compared to the N1.17 trillion allotted in 2023, it falls significantly short of the AU’s recommended 15 per cent benchmark for health sector funding.
