ALGON REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE AT SSHIAs SUMMIT, ONDO 2026

By Obiora Orji

The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, the umbrella body for all 774 Local Government Areas and Area Councils in Nigeria, has expressed strong interest in the maiden National Summit of State Social Health Insurance Agencies, SSHIAs, Ondo 2026, hosted by the Ondo State Government under Governor Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa through the Ondo State Contributory Health Commission, ODCHC, and the Forum of Chief Executive Officers of State Social Health Insurance Agencies.

The ALGON National President, Hon. Engr. Bello Lawal, was represented at the summit by Hon. Dr. Gbenga Fasua, ALGON Chairman, Ondo State, alongside Dr. Ben Nkechika, ALGON Lead Consultant on Health Matters. In his goodwill message to the gathering, the ALGON President congratulated the Ondo State Government and ODCHC on convening the historic summit and underscored the timeliness of its theme, “Economic Realities and the UHC Dream: Mobilising States for a Scalable Health Insurance Future.” He noted that as Nigeria advances Universal Health Coverage through sustainable health financing and stronger primary healthcare systems, local governments must play a central role given their proximity to vulnerable populations. He reaffirmed ALGON’s commitment to collaborate with the National Health Insurance Authority, State Health Insurance Agencies, development partners, and other stakeholders to accelerate enrollment and strengthen health security across the 774 LGAs, stressing that no Nigerian should be left behind as the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, BHCPF 2.0, MAMII, and PHC digitalization programmes roll out.

The summit is bringing together Governor Aiyedatiwa, Honourable Commissioners of Health from across the federation, Chief Executive Officers of State Social Health Insurance Agencies, officials of the National Health Insurance Authority, representatives of the World Bank and other development partners, captains of industry, healthcare providers, and critical stakeholders in the health sector to deliberate on strategies for scaling affordable and quality healthcare coverage. The focus of discussions centers on innovative healthcare financing to reduce out-of-pocket expenses, the advancement of digital transformation in insurance administration for greater efficiency and transparency, and stronger alignment between state schemes and national UHC objectives.

Through keynote presentations, technical sessions, panel discussions, policy dialogues, and exhibitions, delegates are assessing practical approaches to harmonize policies across states, improve portability of coverage, and increase state government commitment to enrollment and counterpart funding. The summit is expected to produce a unified roadmap and a comprehensive communiqué with policy recommendations and implementation frameworks to guide the expansion of coverage nationwide. Ondo State’s hosting of the summit reflects its leadership in healthcare reform and its commitment to building a resilient, inclusive, and people-centered health system.

Speaking on behalf of ALGON, Hon. Dr. Gbenga Fasua emphasized that economic realities demand innovation and that healthcare must remain affordable, digital, and people-centered, while Dr. Ben Nkechika stressed that local governments will anchor post-summit implementation because Universal Health Coverage must start where the people are, in their communities. With its grassroots structure, ALGON is positioned to support enrollment mobilization, community sensitization, data capture of vulnerable groups, and feedback from the ward level to ensure summit resolutions translate into measurable impact.