The African Development Bank, AfDB, has approved a $46 million loan to support a wide-ranging health infrastructure project in Sokoto State.
The project, dubbed the Sokoto State Health Infrastructure Project, is aimed at overhauling the region’s ailing health system and tackling critical challenges such as high infant mortality, poor vaccination rates, and a shortage of health personnel.
In a statement issued by the AfDB and obtained by PUNCH Online, the loan was approved by the bank’s Board of Directors as part of its commitment to improving healthcare access and outcomes in underserved areas of Nigeria.
The Bank described Sokoto’s health indices as “alarming,” with only one in 20 children fully vaccinated and an infant mortality rate of 104 deaths per 1,000 live births—nearly twice the national average.
Furthermore, less than 14 percent of health facilities in the state are deemed functional, while the doctor-to-population ratio is just 1:8,285, far below the World Health Organisation’s 1:1,000 recommendation.
The AfDB said the funding will support the construction and equipping of a new 1,000-bed teaching hospital, three zonal hospitals with a combined 450-bed capacity, and six new primary healthcare centres strategically located in rural areas.
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The intervention will also include the rehabilitation of health training institutions, the development of a modern medical warehouse to improve pharmaceutical supply chains, and the integration of climate-smart, renewable energy systems across facilities.
“This investment illustrates our commitment to continue working with the Government to fill critical infrastructure gaps in Nigeria’s health system while building resilient, climate-adapted healthcare facilities,” said Abdul Kamara, Director-General of the AfDB’s Nigeria Country Department. “By strengthening healthcare infrastructure in Sokoto State, we are building hope and creating pathways to better health outcomes for millions of Nigerians.”
The project also aligns with Nigeria’s National Development Plan (2021–2025) and the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative.
It is projected to create about 2,500 jobs, with 60 percent targeted at young people and 30 percent at women.
Additionally, the project will expand local training capacity, creating 700 new medical and nursing training slots each year to help address the severe shortage of healthcare workers.
This new initiative builds on AfDB’s previous investments in Nigeria’s health sector, where it has already financed four major health infrastructure projects totaling over $117 million. The Bank says it will collaborate with strategic partners such as UNICEF, WHO, and USAID to ensure comprehensive impact.
The approval of this loan represents a critical turning point for healthcare delivery in Sokoto, a state that has long lagged behind in basic health outcomes. By addressing both infrastructure and human capacity, the project aims to create a sustainable and inclusive model for health system reform in northern Nigeria.
