Nigeria and African Export Import Bank sign agreement to build African Medical Centre of Excellence in Abuja

NIGERIA's federal government and the African Export Import Bank (Afreximbank) have signed the a host country agreement to build a multi-million dollar African Medical Centre of Excellence (Amce) in Abuja in a bid to end the growing scourge of medical tourism.

Due to the fact that the country's medical facilities are in a shambles, Nigeria's elite spend billions of dollars on foreign medical trips, covering minor ailments to specialist operations. In a bid to end this practise that has led to the current massive capital flight as the wealthy and well heeled bleed the nation's foreign exchange reserves dry, the federal government has sought to build a quality local health facility.

Located on a large expanse of land in the rapidly-developing Apo-Kabusa area of the Federal Capital Territory, Amce will be a 500-bed secondary and tertiary healthcare institution, built at an estimated cost of $750m. On September 30, the agreement to build it was signed between Professor Benedict Oramah, president and chairman of the Afreximbank  board of directors and Geoffrey Onyeama, Nigeria's foreign minister.

Professor Oramah said: “Amce Abuja is a first of its kind quaternary level medical facility in the West African region and one amongst the very few, if any, on the African continent. It will promote intra-African trade medical tourism by offering a full spectrum of services in oncology, haematology, cardiology and general healthcare across the continent, in addition to training, research and development capabilities.

"Amce Abuja will serve as the headquarters for other Amces to be launched across Africa. The initial capital outlay for the first phase of the Amce Abuja is projected at $300m and the investment is expected to rise to about $750m upon full development, making the facility by a significant distance the single largest private healthcare investment in Nigeria and Africa in general.

“The success of the Amce Abuja will pave the way for attracting future investments and partnership arrangements within the health sector on the continent. It will also raise the local standards of healthcare delivery as well as provide a blueprint for quality of services required to address Nigeria and Africa’s healthcare and related challenges.”

Mr Onyeama added: “I know how difficult it is for a country to get host status for a project or institution that everyone is looking for. Today, with all the health challenges facing the world, every country is looking to host an international health institution, so I thank Afreximbank for bringing this institution to Nigeria as a host.

“The research and development aspect of the project is very important. It is not just a turnkey hospital that is being set up in Nigeria, the African Medical Centre of Excellence will be a research institution, which is vitally important because that is the only way to have sustainable and comprehensive medical facilities and treatment.

“Amce really ticks all the boxes because when we do not invest in research and development, we end up with situations where neglected tropical diseases we have on the continent do not have proper treatments. This is because industrialised countries that invest in research and development prioritise the diseases that affect their citizens the most, as do pharmaceutical companies."