President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of the National Health Technology and Data Analytics Office (NHTDAO) to coordinate Nigeria’s digital health agenda and appointed Dr Obi Adigwe as the agency’s pioneer National Coordinator.

The Presidency announced the development in a statement issued on Friday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

According to the statement, the new office will operate under the Office of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare and serve as a central platform for driving digital health initiatives across the country.

The Presidency explained that the NHTDAO will complement, rather than replace, the statutory responsibilities of existing health institutions. It will also harmonise public and private sector efforts, establish interoperability standards and implement the National Digital Health Architecture approved by the National Council on Health in November 2025.

Adigwe, who currently serves as Director General of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, was appointed to lead the office based on his experience in science, innovation and health technology.

The statement noted that he has spearheaded several major initiatives, including a ¥300 million nanotechnology project, an AFREXIMBank-supported programme for Africa’s first Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients training facility, and the development of a roadmap that secured an €18 million European Union grant. It also credited him with leading what it described as the world’s first scientific analysis that challenged claims surrounding the COVID Organics preparation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To provide strategic direction, the office will be overseen by a steering committee co-chaired by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, and the Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Olaniyi Yusuf.

Other members include the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako; 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; representatives of key health agencies, the National Information Technology Development Agency, state commissioners of health from the six geopolitical zones and industry stakeholders.

The Presidency said the new office is expected to accelerate Nigeria’s transition to a secure, interoperable and data-driven healthcare system capable of improving service delivery and health outcomes, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration.