Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, has been named one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in global health for 2025.
The recognition was hailed by the Nigerian Medical Association as a landmark achievement that underscores the success of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s health sector reforms.
NMA President, Professor Bala Audu, described the recognition as a powerful validation of the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Initiative, under which Professor Pate has led sweeping reforms aimed at revitalizing Nigeria’s healthcare system.
Since his appointment, Prof. Pate has spearheaded the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), which has seen the rehabilitation of thousands of primary healthcare centres and the recruitment and training of tens of thousands of frontline health workers across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.
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In 2024 alone, the health ministry recorded a historic milestone with 2.4 million Nigerians newly enrolled under the national health insurance scheme. Access to essential medicines has also expanded, and infrastructure upgrades are ongoing across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Prof. Pate has also driven Nigeria’s ambition to become a hub for local manufacturing of biologics, vaccines, and pharmaceuticals.
His strategic engagement with development partners and the private sector has attracted billions of dollars in funding and technical support, facilitating transformative investments in the country’s health sector.
A major highlight of his tenure has been the launch of the National Health Fellows Programme, which selected and trained young leaders from every local government area to contribute to the future of Nigeria’s healthcare.
Also recognized in the 2025 TIME100 Health list is Dr. Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi, Director of Nutrition at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, whose contributions to national nutrition policy and maternal-child health have received international acclaim.
The NMA has congratulated both honorees, expressing optimism that Nigeria’s growing influence in global health will translate to more equitable, accessible, and sustainable healthcare for all citizens.
