The Alternative Bank has called for increased investment and stronger partnerships to help scale healthcare solutions and expand access to quality care in underserved communities across Nigeria.
The bank made the call at the 2026 Insights Learning Forum (ILF) in Abuja, where government officials, investors, business leaders, health-tech innovators and development organisations explored ways to move healthcare innovations beyond pilot projects and into wider adoption.
Speaking during a session on financing scalable solutions for inclusive health systems, Divisional Head, Commercial Banking, The Alternative Bank, Chukwuemeka Agada, said inadequate and inappropriate funding remained a major obstacle to the expansion of healthcare innovations.
Agada said innovative ideas alone could not transform Nigeria’s healthcare system without patient capital, credible partners and effective delivery structures.
He explained that healthcare projects targeting low-income and underserved communities required long-term financing models that connect capital to real assets, shared risks and sustainable delivery mechanisms.
According to him, The Alternative Bank views non-interest finance as one of the financing options that could support healthcare projects while maintaining their financial sustainability.
“Good ideas do not become health systems by themselves. They need patient capital, credible partners, and structures that can move them from pilot sites into communities where people need care,” Agada said.
He added that healthcare development could not depend on goodwill alone, stressing the need for capital providers and partners who understand the challenges and can support solutions beyond their initial funding cycles.
“Healthcare will not scale on goodwill alone. We need capital that understands the problem, partners who can execute, and structures that make the solution last beyond the first funding cycle,” he said.
Also speaking at the forum, Head of Corporate Social Investment at The Alternative Bank, Solomon Okonkwo, said financial inclusion would have a greater impact when it provided individuals and communities with access to practical economic opportunities.
Okonkwo noted that healthcare should not be addressed in isolation, as it is closely connected to other development priorities such as education, agriculture, infrastructure and climate resilience.
“Finance must connect to real needs. When we talk about inclusion, we are talking about access, dignity, and the ability of communities to take part in economic growth,” he said.
He stressed the need for development strategies to recognise the links between healthcare and other sectors.
“Health does not stand alone. It connects to education, agriculture, infrastructure, and climate. Any serious development plan must treat these areas as linked,” Okonkwo said.
The two-day Insights Learning Forum was organised by eHealth Africa in collaboration with The Dala Group, with discussions focused on partnerships, investment and the adoption of digital health solutions across wider health systems.
Participants examined challenges limiting the expansion of healthcare innovations, including infrastructure gaps, inadequate funding, data limitations and weak last-mile delivery in underserved communities.
The organisers said ILF 2026 was designed to strengthen cross-sector partnerships, promote inclusive digital health solutions and mobilise investment towards healthcare systems capable of operating at scale.
