FG Commits To New Innovation To Drive Indigenous Healthcare Solutions
- Health and Wellbeing
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Vice President Kashim Shettima has launched ‘Grand Challenges Nigeria’ (GCNg), a national innovation programme aimed at revolutionising Nigeria’s healthcare landscape through locally developed solutions.
The initiative, which is part of the global Grand Challenges network, will focus on maternal and child health challenges in the first phase.
Speaking on Monday when he launched the GCNg at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Vice President Shettima told the audience that the initiative became necessary following an urgency occasioned by the rapid pace at which the world “is evolving in the realms of science and technology.”
He stressed the importance of contextualising solutions to national challenges, citing this as “a cardinal message” of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, just as he said the initiative will promote groundbreaking research and build local expertise, among others.
“This initiative is more than a response to problems; it is an avenue to promote groundbreaking research, build local expertise, form strategic partnerships, and engage communities in co-creating culturally relevant solutions,” VP Shettima said.
He explained that the programme will integrate with existing government healthcare initiatives, including the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) and the Nutrition 774 programme.
“What Grand Challenges Nigeria promises is transformative: a Nigeria where every child has access to proper nutrition, where every family can rely on the quality of our healthcare system, and where our public health metrics continue to improve year after year,” the VP noted.
The Vice President also announced an immediate call for proposals on “advancing innovative solutions for maternal, newborn, and child health, while explaining that the initiative will address various challenges, from infectious diseases to food security and climate resilience.
“Our gateway to innovation is rooted in recognising our place within the global community,” he stated, adding that “we must believe that our progress is intertwined with the progress of the rest of the world.”
Shettima emphasised that the Tinubu administration is “steadfast in its resolve to provide the support needed to turn our aspirations into lifelines for our people.”
The vice president expressed anticipation for witnessing the ingenuity of Nigeria’s best minds, “whose innovations will receive the funding and support they deserve through this initiative.”
In his keynote remarks, Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, said the Grand Challenges Nigeria is aimed at developing local solutions to critical issues confronting Nigerians.
The minister noted that the model aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 8-point agenda using innovation to drive prosperity and growth, and in the process, empowering researchers and innovators.
Nnaji noted that the ministry remains committed to fostering growth, using innovation, even as he assured that the Grand Challenges Nigeria will prioritise key goals investment in education and environmentally sustainable projects, among others.
