Nigeria's government wants to stop piloting digital health tools and start using them nationwide. Officials say proven solutions should be rolled out immediately rather than tested repeatedly.
Dr. John Ovuoraye made the call at a Pre-Africa Digital Health Summit roundtable in Abuja on Thursday.
He heads the health planning and research division at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
"We are already at the place of moving from pilot to scale," Ovuoraye told attendees. "It has been demonstrated, it has worked."
Officials at the meeting watched live demonstrations of digital tools providing real-time health data. These systems help policymakers spot problems and find solutions quickly.
The participants unanimously agreed the technology should be replicated across the country. Ovuoraye said recommendations would be turned into a detailed implementation report.
According to him, the report will outline specific timelines and technical processes needed. It'll also identify committees responsible for wider rollout.
"We are eager to achieve and we want to deliver within a short time," he noted. "If it is good enough, let us go to work and start running with it."
Paul Bhuhi, managing director of Vantage Health Technologies, raised a critical concern. Many African digital health projects, he said, fail because they never move past the pilot phase despite costing millions.
Africa has matured beyond testing new technologies, Bhuhi argued. The continent now needs solutions designed for actual national use and lasting impact.
"The challenge before us is no longer whether technology can improve health outcomes," he told reporters. "It is how to scale proven solutions sustainably."
Dr. Jerome Mafeni, technical adviser at the Network for Health Equity and Development, stressed partnership matters most.
Strong government backing and quality data are equally essential, he explained.
"Scaling innovation requires more than technology," Mafeni said. "It requires strong partnerships, government ownership, quality data and sustained collaboration."
