The Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN) has appointed Mrs. Njide Ndili, Country Director of PharmAccess, as its new President.
She succeeded Dr. Pamela Ajayi after serving as vice president for two terms. The announcement followed a closely contested election at HFN’s Annual General Meeting on February 27, 2025.
Joining Mrs Ndili in the new leadership team is Dr Benson Ayodele Cole as First Vice President, Dr Jennifer Anyanti as Second Vice President, Mrs Chinyere Okorocha as Public Relations Secretary, Mr Reagan Rowland as Treasurer, and Mr Babarinde Oloyede as Financial Secretary.
A Decade Of Private-Sector Healthcare Leadership
The transition was unveiled at the HFN Annual Conference 2025, which also celebrated the organization’s 10th Anniversary. The event brought together healthcare leaders, international experts, and policymakers to discuss strategies for strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare sector.
Key attendees included officials from the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), Lagos and Ekiti State health commissioners, and representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Advancing Private-Sector Participation In Healthcare
As the umbrella body for private-sector healthcare stakeholders, HFN plays a crucial role in fostering collaboration between providers, manufacturers, regulators, and policymakers.
Mrs Ndili, an integral part of HFN’s leadership since its inception, has been instrumental in driving key initiatives. Through PharmAccess, she has supported HFN’s involvement in Access to Finance (A2F) Public-Private Partnerships at the primary healthcare level, helped secure licensing agreements for SafeCare quality standards, and facilitated financial and technical assistance to expand HFN’s influence.
Vision For The Future
Mrs Ndili outlined her priorities for the next two years, emphasizing sustainability, innovation, and strategic partnerships. Her agenda includes strengthening HFN’s representation on government committees, engaging Nigeria’s healthcare diaspora, and advocating for policy reforms such as implementing zero tariffs on medical imports.
Additionally, she plans to enhance primary healthcare services through private-sector collaboration, leverage digital technology for performance tracking, and promote workforce capacity development to drive Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The Need for Public-Private Collaboration
Experts at the conference stressed the importance of public-private collaboration in achieving Nigeria’s healthcare goals. Prof. Khama Rogo, former Lead of the Health in Africa Initiative at the World Bank, highlighted that neither sector can succeed in isolation. Similarly, Dr. Abdu Mukhtar of PVAC emphasized the urgency of strengthening Nigeria’s local healthcare industry, noting that 80% of the country’s medical products are currently imported. To address this, efforts are underway to boost local manufacturing through financial mobilization, including significant funding from Afreximbank and the European Investment Bank.
Commitment To Universal Health Coverage
With a strong legacy of driving healthcare reforms and fostering partnerships, HFN remains committed to achieving Universal Health Coverage through private-sector activation.
Under Mrs Ndili’s leadership, the federation aims to further its mission of creating an enabling environment for sustainable healthcare solutions in Nigeria.
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