In line with the ongoing transformation of Nigeria’s social services, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has recorded landmark achievements since the appointment of Dr. Muyiwa Aina as the Executive Director and CEO .
From when he entered office, Dr. Aina has led a quiet revolution at the grassroots level. He successfully shifted the agency’s focus from administrative oversight to a high-impact, results-oriented approach. His tenure has been defined by a commitment to data-driven accountability and the modernisation of Nigeria’s healthcare foundation. This ensures that the Renewed Hope agenda reaches the most vulnerable citizens in every ward across the federation.
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) is the major body tasked with providing leadership that supports the promotion and implementation of high-quality and sustainable primary healthcare for all Nigerians. As the bedrock of the national health system, the NPHCDA manages everything from routine immunisation to maternal and child health services at the community level.
Since October 2023, Dr. Muyiwa Aina has been at the forefront of NPHCDA. He is a world-class public health physician and management consultant with an impeccable academic pedigree. His portfolio includes degrees from the University of Ilorin, Harvard University, and a PhD from Johns Hopkins University. Before his current role, Dr. Aina was widely respected as the founder of Solina Group, where he spearheaded transformative health interventions across Africa. That established him as a uniquely qualified poach from the private sector to lead Nigeria’s public health revitalisation.
One of Dr. Aina’s most significant contributions has been the shift in how the government views healthcare infrastructure. Rather than merely painting walls, he has introduced the “Functional Level 2” standard for Primary Health Care (PHC) centers. This standard mandates that a facility must possess 24/7 solar power, clean water, essential medicines, and a full complement of trained staff to be considered functional.
As of early 2026, the agency has successfully revitalised over 1,200 facilities to this standard, with thousands more upgrades currently undergoing. This progress is a critical step toward the administration’s goal of establishing at least one fully functional, standardised PHC in each of Nigeria’s 17,600 wards. This aims to effectively bring quality care within walking distance for every Nigerian.
Under Dr. Aina’s leadership, NPHCDA has executed some of the most important and cost-effective vaccination campaigns in Nigeria’s history. Most outstanding was the nationwide rollout of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which successfully reached millions of adolescent girls despite significant cultural and logistical barriers.
Furthermore, Dr. Aina masterminded the shift toward “Integrated Mega-Campaigns”. By combining vaccinations for measles, rubella, and polio into a single operation, the agency reached over 100 million children in late 2025. With this, NPHCDA also achieved a remarkable national saving of approximately ₦6 billion. This demonstrated a level of fiscal efficiency and technical foresight that has become the hallmark of his administration.
Additionally, Dr. Aina has been the major player behind the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp). SWAp is a policy framework that ensures international donor funding and national health budgets are pooled and aligned toward common goals. This has eliminated the collaboration barriers that previously existed in the health sector.
In the same vein, Dr Muyiwa Aina has successfully scaled the Nigeria Collaborative Action Strategy (N-CAS). Following successful pilots in the north, the strategy was expanded to states like Akwa Ibom in February 2026. The programme also integrated malaria treatment and nutrition services into routine immunisation visits. This all-in-one model has significantly increased health service uptake in zero-dose communities that were previously hard to reach.
Recognising that what cannot be measured cannot be managed, Dr. Aina introduced a real-time PHC dashboard and developed the electronic Management of Information System (eMIS). This digital infrastructure allows the NPHCDA to monitor facility performance, staffing levels, and drug stockouts from a central hub in Abuja. The new level of transparency has restored the confidence of global partners like Gavi and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This means a steady flow of investment into Nigeria’s health sector.
In conclusion, the first phase of Dr. Muyiwa Aina’s tenure has proven that when technical expertise meets political will, the results are transformative. His ability to combine the expertise of an epidemiologist with the strategic mindset of a CEO has placed Nigeria on a definitive path toward Universal Health Coverage.
As the NPHCDA continues to scale these innovations through 2026 and beyond, the legacy of Dr Aina’s approach will be measured in the millions of lives saved and the resilience of a nation’s most vital resource, which is its health sector.
Samuel Agboola is a member of the editorial team of TheScript Newspapers.
