Lagos State Government has unveiled an ambitious vision to leverage digital health, artificial intelligence, data and strategic partnerships to transform healthcare delivery and position the state as a major hub for medical innovation and the emerging bioeconomy in Africa.

The vision was unveiled on the second day of the Eko Health Convention 2026, held on Friday 7th August at Oriental Hotel, Lagos, where health leaders, technology experts, development partners and innovators explored ways of leveraging digital innovation and strategic partnerships for better health outcomes.

Delivering the keynote address, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said digital health had moved beyond the use of electronic records and applications, stressing that the real value of digitalisation lay in generating high-quality data that could drive research, precision medicine, innovation and economic growth.

Abayomi said the Lagos Smart Health Information Platform (SHIP) would provide the foundation for connecting patient records, investigations, biological information and other health data, enabling the state to build population intelligence and use artificial intelligence and machine learning to accelerate scientific discovery. “Data has become king,” he said, noting that digital health was becoming as important as roads, electricity, telecommunications and financial infrastructure.

He explained that the state’s digital health strategy was also central to the development of a bioeconomy driven by biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, genomics, artificial intelligence and biosciences. According to him, Lagos was building the infrastructure and human capital required to move beyond traditional healthcare delivery into prevention, precision medicine, regenerative medicine and healthy longevity, with new categories of professionals including data scientists, computational experts and biomedical researchers.

The Commissioner said the vision was being complemented by major projects, including the proposed University of Medicine and Health Sciences, the Lagos State Medical, Industrial and Innovation Zone,(LASMIIZO) in the Lekki Free Trade Zone, SHIP and the Lagos BioShield initiative. He said LASMIIZO would combine medical manufacturing, research and development and healthcare innovation, while the BioShield would strengthen Lagos’ preparedness for future infectious disease threats. “For Lagos, we do not want to be left behind. We want to participate in the advancement of science and embrace digital technologies,” Abayomi said.

Opening the second day of the convention, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, Dr. (Mrs.) Kemi Ogunyemi, said the urgency of digital transformation was driven by Lagos’ rapidly growing population and the increasing pressure on hospitals, primary healthcare centres and emergency services. She recalled that the Ebola outbreak and COVID-19 pandemic exposed the consequences of disconnected health information, with patients sometimes moving across the state without their medical histories following them.

Ogunyemi said digital transformation must ultimately be about people rather than gadgets, noting that SHIP would move Lagos from siloed facility records towards a centralised health information repository capable of supporting trend analysis, artificial intelligence, surveillance and better resource management. She added that e-pharmacies and other digital platforms were already expanding access to essential medicines, family planning services and counselling.

She identified four priorities for the next phase of Lagos’ health reforms as completion of flagship projects, deeper digital transformation through artificial intelligence and surveillance, universal health coverage, and investment in people and strategic partnerships. “Government cannot do it alone,” Ogunyemi stressed, calling for greater collaboration among the private sector, technology innovators, clinicians, communities and development partners.

Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Dayo Lajide, in her closing remarks, commended Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Deputy Governor Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, First Lady Dr. Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, the Commissioner, Special Adviser, health agencies, development partners, sponsors, exhibitors, innovators and the media for supporting the two-day convention. She described the event as a collective effort, saying, “We couldn’t have done this on our own.”

Lajide particularly acknowledged Dr. (Mrs) Ogunyemi as the driving force behind the convention, noting that she had continued to push and coordinate efforts until the final stage. She also praised the health workforce, partners and what she humorously described as the “Gen Z, Insta press” for contributing to the visibility of the event, announcing that the next edition would be Eko Health Convention 2027.

Speaking on powering the digital health ecosystem, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, Mr. Adeyinka Shorungbe, said seamless information exchange was at the heart of an effective healthcare system. He said the state needed to connect primary, secondary, tertiary and private facilities so that patients could access their medical records regardless of where they sought care. “Information exchange is at the heart of an effective healthcare system,” he said.

Shorungbe also urged healthcare professionals to become active participants in technology development by identifying problems and working with innovators to create solutions. He commended the Lagos Digital Health Innovation Challenge and encouraged innovators to explore funding through the Lagos State Science, Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC), while stressing that capacity building, cybersecurity, data governance and sustainable partnerships were essential to digital transformation.

Chief Executive Officer of Mobihealth International, Dr. Funmi Adewara, said the future of healthcare was “click-and-brick,” combining digital access with physical healthcare touchpoints. She said telemedicine had already demonstrated its value in Lagos through community, campus and PHC-based telehealth facilities, but urged the state to move beyond pilots by establishing reimbursement pathways under Ilera Eko, ensuring interoperability with SHIP and investing in connectivity and workforce training.

Health Informatics Director, PHIS3 Project, APIN Public Health Initiatives, Mr. Gibril Gomez, said every patient encounter could generate value beyond individual care when health information was captured digitally and securely shared. “Healthcare begins with one patient, while digital health multiplies the value of every encounter,” he said, stressing that connected systems could transform individual clinical records into public health intelligence for surveillance, planning and decision-making.

Founder, Africa Hub for Innovation and Development, Dr. Kunle Kakanfo, said artificial intelligence could significantly improve clinical productivity and help address Nigeria’s health workforce shortages, but warned that its adoption must be governed with the same seriousness applied to clinical interventions. He called for institutional AI governance committees, rigorous validation of AI systems, clear accountability and safeguards against algorithmic bias, liability and inaccurate outcomes, describing uncontrolled use of AI in healthcare as “shadow clinical AI.”

Presenting on sustaining health beyond aid, Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State AIDS Control Agency, Dr. Folakemi Basirat Animashaun, said Lagos had responded decisively to disruptions in international HIV financing from 2025 by increasing domestic ownership of the HIV response. She said the state strengthened commodity procurement, treatment continuity, prevention, community engagement and evidence-based resource mobilisation, stressing that the funding shock had become an opportunity to build a more resilient system. “The crisis became an opportunity,” she said.

Managing Director, Digital Health Platforms Limited, Mr. Femi Olapegba, said SHIP was designed to address the fragmentation created by multiple electronic medical records, laboratory systems, telemedicine platforms and paper-based records operating independently. He said the platform, built around the HL7 FHIR interoperability standard, would connect hospitals, laboratories, PHCs, pharmacies, HMOs, regulators and patients, providing a unified longitudinal health record and real-time intelligence for government.

Olapegba said SHIP would support patient identification through the SHIP Care Number, summary care records, electronic referrals, e-prescriptions, emergency access to critical patient information and financial dashboards. He added that the platform was also being extended to agencies including the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service, HEFAMAA and the Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board, with the goal of capturing the entire healthcare-seeking journey of Lagos residents.

At a panel session on building sustainable partnerships beyond donor grants, stakeholders stressed that long-term health gains required government ownership, community participation and co-financing. Dr. Temitope Balogun-Alo of the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board said the state had established 81 round-the-clock PHCs through investment in infrastructure, recruitment of more than 900 healthcare workers and a hub-and-spoke model, while stressing that further expansion would require staffing, security, ambulance services and sustained investment.

Other panellists; including CHAI’s Dr. Chizoba Fashanu, Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Chairman Hon. Abdullahi Sesan Olowa, APIN’s Dr. Olaposi Olatoregun and US CDC’s Dr. Ibrahim Dalhatu, called for stronger local ownership, disability inclusion, improved surveillance, community engagement, health financing and greater use of data. The moderator, Dr. Noimot Abisola Balogun, said sustainable partnerships must move beyond promises to practical implementation, with quality healthcare treated as a right rather than a privilege.

Reflecting on the convention, Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service, Dr. Bodunrin Osikomaiya, said Eko Health Convention 2026 had moved the conversation from innovation to integration, with digital health and partnerships emerging as critical pillars of the state’s next phase of transformation. She said the gains of the 2025 convention had matured into a clearer agenda for 2027, declaring: “EHC 2026 may be ending, but EHC 2027 begins tomorrow.” She called for improved interoperability, stronger referral pathways, institutionalisation of successful innovations, measurable accountability and greater attention to citizens’ experiences.

For Advert, Event Coverage/Press Conference Invite, Story/Article Publication & Other Media Services
Contact Us On WhatsApp
Send Email To: citizennewsng@gmail.com
Visit Citizen NewsNG To Read More Latest And Interesting News Across Nigeria And The World