Today, we need at least $82 billion in private investments in Nigerian healthcare.

Nigeria, like many other African countries, is currently going through a tough time economically. And as a result, the ability of the government to fund its various healthcare priorities is limited. Private investment in healthcare can fill urgent healthcare financing gaps, benefit from the large and growing market opportunities in the sector, and deliver outsized positive impact on the lives of Nigerians.

Are you an investor? Here are the 3 simple reasons why you should give the Nigerian healthcare sector a chance.

1. Massive Opportunity

Africa’s population is projected to double to 2 billion by 2050. And with this population growth comes an increasing demand for modern healthcare services. Today the continent faces a double burden of disease, as it continues to battle infectious diseases, like malaria and tuberculosis, along with the wave of new lifestyle diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes. According to the IFC, Africa’s healthcare expenditure will reach $250 billion by 2025, representing the massive opportunities waiting to be unlocked in African healthcare.

2. Gritty Founders

Many healthcare founders have strong personal ties to the work they do and care deeply about their communities, so they are willing to keep going even when things are tough. Compared to the fintech or even the agtech sectors, the health sector has received a much smaller share of the investment pie to date. Yet, founders in the health sector have delivered an impressive amount with the relatively little funding we have gotten. Just imagine what we could accomplish with more funding! 

3. Outsized Impact

Because of how critical healthcare is to our daily lives, the impact you can drive by investing in health is massive. Improving health outcomes via your investments means you are increasing life spans on the continent, ensuring more children make it to their 5th birthdays, and preventing mothers from dying during childbirth. Given tight government budgets, many public health systems are also willing to work with private health organizations to drive this impact even more.