General News
Nigeria, Other African Nations Eye Sin Taxes, Debt Restructuring to Replace Lost Funding
Cash-strapped African nations are looking at imposing sin taxes, restructuring debt and even trying to take a cut of diaspora remittances to replace lost aid funding and prop up their health systems.
So called sin tax, is an excise tax specifically levied on certain goods deemed harmful to society and individuals, such as alcohol, tobacco, drugs, candy, soft drinks, fast foods, coffee, sugar, gambling, vaping, cannabis and pornography.
According to the Telegraph, ten months after Donald Trump slashed America’s lavish overseas aid, former recipients are scrambling for new ways to fill the gaps, said one of the continent’s leading public health experts.
International health aid is projected to drop by two-fifths in 2025 compared with 2023, according to new World Health Organization figures.
A WHO survey has found cuts have reduced critical services such as maternal care, vaccination and disease surveillance – by up to 70 per cent in some countries.
Nations have acknowledged Mr Trump is not going to change his mind, and similar cuts from the UK and others mean global aid funding is not going to return to levels of recent years.
Prof Helen Rees, a world renowned HIV and global health researcher, said: “We are seeing just a real change in the way that people are thinking about the way we are going to finance.
“Because that is the reality and this is not going to come back to any of those levels that we have seen.”
Prof Rees, who heads the Wits RHI research institute at Johannesburg’s University of the Witwatersrand, said there was also an acknowledgement in many countries that they had become too dependent on aid.
She said: “Many African health ministers have now said we shouldn’t have done this, we shouldn’t have had this level of dependency, so that when it was withdrawn, we all suddenly reeled backwards and said oh my goodness, we hadn’t planned for this.”
African health leaders have also admitted that the previous international largesse had been inefficient and often wasted, doing too little to build up lasting health systems that could stand alone.
Dr Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, recently estimated that 60 per cent of traditional foreign health aid to Africa was effectively wasted.
He said: “Let me also shock you: We don’t need more than 40 per cent of [the] money we were receiving before.”
As aid cuts have bitten, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa have all allocated budget increases to health, and are trying to get the increases approved by their parliaments.
Prof Rees said countries were looking at how they could increase taxation to make up for the lost money.
Some were looking at so-called sin taxes, including targeting a boom in online gambling.
Ghana earlier this year put a 20 per cent increase on taxes for alcohol, tobacco products and sugary drinks, in part to raise money for its health service.
Crypto currency could be another target for taxation, Prof Rees said.
Another area being investigated is money sent from abroad.
She said: “If you imagine some of the big countries that have got a big diaspora, remittances are a hugely important part of the foreign exchange income.
“So is there a way that diaspora remittances can be looked at?”
Countries were also looking at pooling procurement to get better bargaining power on vaccine and drug deals, following an example set by the Pan American Health Organisation, which has had a similar scheme since the 1970s.
As countries fund themselves with more of their own money, they will have to make their own prioritisations about what healthcare they want.
Prof Rees said: “Actually some of these health products that we really need are expensive. Countries are going to have to say, if I buy that vaccine, I can’t buy that drug, or I can put money into health services.”
The financial squeeze is not confined to countries. She said global health agencies such as those run by the United Nations, or bodies such as the Global Fund and the GAVI vaccine alliance were also looking at how to cut costs, pool resources and streamline.
She said: “At every level, people are starting to say it can’t be business as usual and we have to rethink at every single level how we do our business.”
International aid will not disappear, but she said increasingly Washington was doing country-to-country deals, rather than backing big global agencies and programmes.
African nations were also going to have to be better at making the case for support, she suggested.
While there was a clear humanitarian case for health aid, she said there was also a case that it had security and stability benefits for richer countries, including a reduction in migration.
She said: “There’s also a very real case about stabilising poor countries.
“Investment in development and investment in health is a stabiliser for countries. If countries can’t afford to do it adequately themselves, you are going to get destabilisation of economies and therefore of political stability.
“Are countries just going to close borders, or do you say that investment actually builds stability and therefore the need for immigration diminishes? Development aid and stability are incredibly important.”
The WHO this week launched new advice for countries dealing with the aid cuts.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general, said: “Sudden and unplanned cuts to aid have hit many countries hard, costing lives and jeopardising hard-won health gains.
According to the African Energy Chamber’s 2025 report, African oil and gas firms face growing “off-field risks,” including regulatory uncertainty, security vulnerabilities, and tighter financial conditions—factors that complicate efforts to raise capital or pursue stock listings.
In commemoration of Women’s Month, health-tech platform Myitura has released a new white paper addressing the critical gaps in healthcare financing for women in Nigeria.
Titled “Closing the Gap: Healthcare Financing for Women in Nigeria,” the report highlights how high out-of-pocket costs, limited insurance coverage, and socio-economic factors continue to prevent women from accessing timely healthcare.
According to the report, over 70% of healthcare expenses in Nigeria are paid out-of-pocket, disproportionately affecting women who often delay care due to financial and social constraints.
“When women can afford to take care of their health early, we don’t just save lives; we strengthen families, communities, and the economy,” said Chialuka Kelechi, MyItura’s Chief of Staff.
Key Insights from the White Paper:
- Preventable conditions often escalate due to delayed care
- Women are more likely to deprioritize their own health
- Affordable, structured healthcare financing can significantly improve outcomes
Introducing a Women’s Health Initiative
As part of its commitment, Myitura is launching affordable women-focused health packages (powered by Mediloan), starting at ₦58,180, designed to encourage preventive care and early detection.
The package provides access to:
- Fasting/Random Blood Sugar
- Urinalysis
- Electrolytes
- Urea
- Creatinine
- Pap Smear Submitted slides
- HIV I & II Rapid (Qualitative)
- Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Screening (Rapid)
- Hepatitis C Virus Screening (Rapid)
- Abdominopelvic Ultrasound
- Ongoing support via the Myitura platform
Access:
Women can access these packages by downloading the Myitura app, which makes healthcare more accessible and convenient.
Myitura is a health-tech platform focused on improving access to healthcare through financing, technology, and preventive care solutions.
General News
DBI Unveils Nigeria Digital Economy Outlook 2026: Q1 Report Highlights Strategic Trends, Risks
DigitalSENSE Business Intelligence (DBI), powered by ITREALMS Media, has launched the Nigeria Digital Economy Outlook 2026: Q1 Intelligence Report (Executive Edition), delivering vital insights for navigating Nigeria’s fast-paced digital landscape.
This executive summary spotlights trends, risks, and opportunities in telecommunications, fintech, digital infrastructure, policy shifts, and investment flows. It underscores digital transformation’s pivotal role in boosting economic growth, financial inclusion, and nationwide innovation.
DBI Publisher, Ogbuefi Remmy Nweke, emphasized its value for leaders: “This Executive Edition offers a sharp, strategic view of Nigeria’s digital economy during a pivotal moment. As the sector surges ahead, reliable intelligence is key to seizing opportunities and tackling risks.”
Key highlights include:
Broadband infrastructure expansion.
Surge in digital payments adoption.
Evolving regulations.
Investor pivot to sustainable, profitable ventures.
The report urges action on digital financial inclusion, infrastructure funding, skills training, and public sector digitization.
Freely accessible, the Executive Edition complements the premium Full Edition with in-depth analysis for executives and institutions. Stakeholders can request full access or briefings.
Media & Access Contacts:
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.itrealms.com.ng
The on-going construction works at the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI’s Renewable Energy Industrial Park, Gora, Nasarawa State is gathering momentum as the project is envisioned to address the country’s energy needs.
NASENI’s Renewable Energy Industrial Park, Gora, Nasarawa State
The project occupying a 40-hectare park designed as a multi-energy hub will help curb capital flight and save foreign exchange expenditure by enabling local production of key renewable energy components such as solar panels, mounting racks, wind systems and biomass technologies.
Speaking during an inspection visit on the project site on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, Special Adviser to the Executive Vice Chairman on Renewable Energy, Engr. Suyud Abdullahi Muhammad, who also serves as the Gora Project Manager, disclosed that the initiative is designed to significantly reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported renewable energy equipment.
“There will be a wind assembly plant, small hydro power equipment production, and solar panel manufacturing; Renewable energy goes beyond just solar, and this park reflects that broader vision,” he said.
Abdullahi noted that the project aligns with NASENI’s goal of reducing energy poverty in Nigeria, where over 80 million citizens remain off-grid, while many connected to the national grid continue to experience inadequate power supply.
The Special Adviser also emphasised on the project’s industrialisation potential, highlighting its role in job creation and value chain development. The park is expected to generate 2,000 direct jobs, with an additional 50,000 indirect employment opportunities across supporting industries when completed.
“This initiative will localise the renewable energy value chain. Instead of relying on imports, Nigeria will begin to produce and eventually export these technologies, starting with the West African market and scaling up to the rest of the continent,” he added.
On sustainability and long-term viability, he revealed that the project is being executed in collaboration with private sector players, academia and other stakeholders, in line with NASENI’s “3Cs” principle of Creation, Collaboration and Commercialisation.
The ongoing construction is being handled by about 35 contracting firms, each handling specific components at varying levels of execution such as Multipurpose Halls for industrial productions, Research and Development (R&D) Centre, Knowledge Park, Energy Centre, Workshops, Researchers Lodge, Studio Apartments, Clinic, Restaurant, Wellness Centre, Solar Farm, Drivers Lounge, Gate House, Internal roads and drainage system and Fencing.
The Gora Renewable Energy Industrial Energy Park is considered a key component of the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, aimed at strengthening local manufacturing, enhancing energy security and positioning Nigeria as a renewable energy hub in Africa.
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