In a move to make Nigeria’s health insurance system more transparent, data-driven, and responsive to citizens’ needs, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has signed partnership agreements with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the Service Compact with All Nigerians (SERVICOM).
The agreements, signed in Abuja, are designed to address two major challenges that have long hampered Nigeria’s health insurance landscape — poor data management and weak service accountability. Through the collaborations, the NHIA aims to improve evidence-based planning and strengthen feedback mechanisms for health insurance beneficiaries.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Director-General of NHIA, Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, said the initiative forms part of a broader reform agenda to make the agency more people-oriented and performance-driven.
“For us, this is about making health insurance work better for Nigerians,” Ohiri said. “We’re building a system that listens, learns, and improves — one that measures impact and delivers real value to citizens.”
According to Ohiri, the partnership with NBS will enable the NHIA to anchor its policies and programmes on reliable, real-time data that reflect the lived experiences of Nigerians, especially the poor and vulnerable.
“You cannot improve what you cannot measure,” he noted. “By working with the National Bureau of Statistics, we’ll ensure our programmes are guided by accurate data, not assumptions. This will help us identify what’s working, where the gaps are, and how to fix them.”
The collaboration with NBS will cover data sharing, joint research, and capacity-building initiatives tailored to the Nigerian health context.
Similarly, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SERVICOM focuses on improving the service experience of health insurance beneficiaries by enhancing systems for complaints, feedback, and redress.
“Universal Health Coverage is not just about access; it’s about the quality of care people receive,” Ohiri said. “If citizens can’t get help when things go wrong, the system fails them. That’s why we are partnering with SERVICOM — to make public health services work better for Nigerians.”
SERVICOM’s National Coordinator, Anthony Oshie, praised the partnership as a demonstration of the government’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and better service delivery in healthcare.
“This collaboration shows that public institutions can work together to make services more responsive to citizens,” Oshie said. “It’s not about bureaucracy — it’s about results, about ensuring that when Nigerians walk into hospitals, they get the quality care they deserve.”
The partnerships mark a major step in the NHIA’s efforts to build a more inclusive and efficient health insurance system — one that prioritizes transparency, data-driven decision-making, and citizen satisfaction.
