By Health & Science Africa
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu says the African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE), Abuja, will be a game changer in Nigeria’s
healthcare system as well as the rest of Africa.
He stated this Th itursday in Abuja during the commissioning ceremony of the hospital.
AMCE is a 500-bed medical health facility developed by the Africa Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in partnership with King’s College Hospital, London (KCH).
Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, the president said the facility could not have come at a better time, adding that he was proud that Nigeria now hosts the largest stem cell laboratory in West Africa,
located within the centre.
He said, “With your planned medical and nursing school on this campus,
and with partners ranging from King’s College London to the University of Wisconsin, you
are laying the foundation for a new generation of African medical specialists—specialists
who will no longer be exported but empowered at home”.
He said that the pace the hospital set shall serve as a template for those who truly seek excellence in their service delivery, even beyond the health sector.
He said, ” it will benefit from the investments and reforms we have championed, and it is also a reminder that the ultimate measure of a functional nation is the synergy between the government and private sector players to co-create solutions.”
He added that the government will continue to support the initiative—not as charity, but as strategy.
President, Afreximbank, Professor
Benedict Oramah said his personal experience inspired him to set up a world class facility that would increase access to quality care on the continent.
He said the hospital would lead in providing solutions to the African healthcare problems, namely the challenge of inadequate healthcare infrastructure and diagnostics facilities, and the billions of US dollars
being expended in outbound medical tourism.
While saying that , AMCE is the centre that will drive renewed emphasis on research in diseases of health interest to people of African descent, he said many diseases affect Africans, for which there are no
affordable cures because no investments are
channelled into researching them.
“An example is Sickle cell anaemia, which affects 2 to 3 percent of Nigerians and about 15 million African people. It is
our collective responsibility to begin to reverse this menace,” he said.
He added that the Afreximbank has launched the Africa Life Sciences Foundation to act as the vehicle for mobilising appropriate risk capital to drive the research efforts.
He said the bank has seeded the vehicle
with a grant funding of $75 million , with a target to raise an additional $525 million dollars over the near term.
Brian Deaver, Chief Executive Officer of AMCE, said the facility represents a paradigm shift in how specialised medical care is delivered on the continent.
He said, “Our integrated model encompasses early diagnosis, advanced treatment, and long-term disease management, creating a seamless continuum of care that improves patient outcomes and health experiences.”
“Our mission extends beyond treatment to include world-class medical education, groundbreaking research, and continuous innovation. By combining international expertise with local talent development, AMCE will build sustainable healthcare capacity that serves generations to come.”
Professor Clive Kay, Chief Executive Officer of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
said, “We are proud to partner with Afreximbank on this important initiative. The African Medical Centre of Excellence represents a positive step forward, and by bringing together world-class clinical standards, training, and research, we aim to share our expertise and support the
development of a sustainable model of care that responds directly to the needs of African
patients”.
