NATIONAL DIASPORA DAY 2026 TO FOCUS ON DIASPORA HEALTH INITIATIVE

NATIONAL DIASPORA DAY 2026 TO FOCUS ON DIASPORA HEALTH INITIATIVE

AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM

SPONSORED BY: H&H

This year’s Diaspora Day, with the theme “Harnessing Global Diaspora Medical Expertise to Strengthen Local Health Systems for National Development,” will be held in collaboration with NiDCOM, the Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria Diaspora Medical Associations across the world, the Medical and Dental Council, the Ministry of Education, the National Medical Association, amongst others.

The programme, under the aegis of the Diaspora Health Impact Initiative 2026 (DHII 2026), will have diaspora doctors, nurses and other medical professionals carry out medical interventions in six regions of the country from July 20, culminating in the grand finale on July 25–26 in Abuja.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, NiDCOM, stated that the initiative is designed to harness the expertise, innovation and global experience of Nigerian health professionals in the Diaspora to strengthen local health systems and expand access to specialist care, particularly in underserved communities across the country.

She explained that DHII 2026 reflects the government’s commitment to ensuring equitable national coverage, cutting across the North East, North West, North Central, South East, South South and South West geopolitical zones.

The initiative is being implemented in collaboration with key national health institutions and professional bodies within and outside Nigeria.

She further emphasised that beyond the more than $20 billion in annual remittances, Nigerian professionals in the Diaspora continue to make invaluable contributions through knowledge transfer, specialist interventions, mentorship and advisory support to the nation’s health system. According to her, DHII 2026 provides a structured national framework for aligning diaspora medical expertise with priority federal and state health needs, in line with the National Diaspora Policy.

Under the initiative, seven major diaspora medical associations will deploy to designated states between July 20 and July 23, 2026.

Operational delivery will be led by recognised National Diaspora Medical Associations assigned to specific states as follows:

The Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas (ANPA – USA) will conduct interventions in Imo, Abia and Enugu States; the Canadian Association of Nigerian Physicians and Dentists (CANPAD – Canada) will operate in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; the Medical Association of Nigerians Across Great Britain (MANSAG – UK) will cover Kano, Kaduna and Sokoto States; while the Concerned Medics Foundation (United Kingdom) will deliver interventions in Borno State, representing the North East zone.

Similarly, the Nigerian Medical Association Germany will implement programmes in the Federal Capital Territory and Nasarawa State (Keffi); the Nigerian-Australian Medical and Dental Association (NAMDA – Australia) will deploy to Bayelsa, Edo (Benin City), Akwa Ibom (Uyo) and Rivers (Port Harcourt) States; while the Nigerian Doctors Forum South Africa (NDF-SA) will lead interventions in Lagos State.

The outreach will focus on specialist clinical services, maternal and neonatal health, sickle cell screening, women’s health, interventional radiology, neurosurgery, echocardiography, point-of-care ultrasound, medical leadership and health systems strengthening, with emphasis on sustainable capacity building and hands-on mentorship.

The initiative will be officially flagged off in Abuja at the start of Diaspora Week 2026, after which participating teams will deploy to their assigned locations nationwide.

All participating associations are expected to reconvene in Abuja on July 24, 2026, ahead of the National Diaspora Day, to submit outcome reports and impact data.

These will feed into policy dialogue and programme scaling discussions during the National Diaspora Day activities on July 25, 2026.

Dabiri-Erewa expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his continued support for diaspora engagement as a strategic pillar of national development.

She also thanked the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate; the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako; the Federal Ministry of Education; State Governments; professional bodies; diaspora medical associations; development partners; the private sector; and the media for their collaboration in making DHII 2026 a success.

She called on Nigerian health professionals in the Diaspora to continue to join hands with the Government in building resilient, equitable and people-centred healthcare systems across Nigeria.

She also commended Arco Petrochemical and Marine Engineering Company for supporting the youth segment of the Diaspora Day events.

Speaking at the press conference, representatives of ANPA–USA, Dr. Cliff Eke; CANPAD–Canada, Dr. Babatunde Awakan; MANSAG–UK, Jide Menakaya; Concerned Medics Foundation, Dr. Sadiya Gumi-Bennett; NMA Germany, Hamid Balogun; NAMDA Australia; NDF-SA; and the Registrar, NMDC, Dr. Fatima Kyari, jointly thanked NiDCOM and the Ministry of Health for the initiative and called for its sustainability.

Already, the pre-event has kicked off with several online sessions on various areas of health care such as women’s health, interventional radiology, neurosurgery and echocardiography.