E-Business
Understanding Data ‘Openness’ Impact in Nigeria’s Health Sector
Of all the public sector issues in Nigeria, that of health has grown quite notorious. The government, resident doctors and other public healthcare personals in several health institutions have continued to have series of show downs in form of strike actions.
Recent strikes by Neuro-psychiatric hospital Yaba, Federal Medical Center Owerri, LAUTECH Oshogbo and University College Hospital Ibadan (UCH) collectively sum up to a year and six months, and before that, data shows that recent years have not been without these showdowns which have become the order of the day.
Although the government ends up settling, the situation of things seem not to change, because after a while another strike action happens, and then the circular dance of economic shame continues.
When these strikes take place, the participants give remuneration, dilapidated facilities, power, insufficient resources, casualization, broken down equipments, not enough man power amongst others issues as reasons for the showdown.
But one wonders why after every settlement, the status quo remains.
A recent Nigeria Healthwatch article threw more light on this. That even after the government reaches a compromise with the striking groups, and salaries increased, there is still no change in quality of service delivery, reasons being that the complexity of healthcare and unavailability of relevant data makes accountability, transparency and impact measurement uneasy.
It behoves one to know that the public healthcare professionals in Nigeria are without contract or specification that states clinical expectations, terms of the service to be delivered e.g number of cases that must be attended to or patients that must be seen.
Furthermore it will wow you to know that crucial indicators like work-flow, quality, outcome and patient satisfaction are not in place.
There are no set standards in public health delivery, meaning there are no means of evaluating the allocations from the Federal Ministry of Health as well as its quarterly allocation from the National Health Insurance Scheme versus service delivered.
Zero value for money assessment, due to little or zero data, thus giving insights as to why the sector is in this mess.
Meanwhile as Africa’s biggest economy Nigeria continues to wallop in this despond, the world has left her behind.
Economies have begun data revolutions, patients are accessing their healthcare records and are comparing costs versus effectiveness, providers are mining and harnessing performance indicators across institutions, physicians are increasing cost-efficiency, researchers are accessing clinical data.
Health institutions performance, choice, accountability, decision-making and other healthy behaviors have increase and improved.
These digital economies have realized the impact that could be made when technology is leveraged to transform data into knowledge and so everyday they create systems driven by technology to spur interconnectivity; where machines and humans are transacting, collaborating, and participating in shared value creation towards opportunities, innovation, growth and development.
Back in Nigeria, we know the tale, we are willing to mimic many lifestyles of other economies, but we have refused to depart from our legacy and bureaucratic environments into a more patient-friendly digital system like they have.
In January 2014, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and NHS England signed a bi-lateral agreement form then use and sharing of health data, tools and services towards increasing transparency and openness in government.
Since then thousands of data sets have been made available for public consumption which in turn has spiraled the emergence of several innovations.
Some of these platforms include;
A. those that leverage mortality datasets to improve accountability at hospital level thereby identifying hospitals with abnormally high mortality rates, and poor clinical practices;
B. those on which health spending and procurement data are published;
C. those that leverage crowdsourced information to help patients choose the right care at the right time and make evidence-based, cost-effective treatment decisions aligned to personal preferences and financial constraints;
D. those that use food and drug data to maintain a knowledge pool of adverse side effects from drugs;
E. those that facilitate innovation in the field of data analysis, data visualization, service design, web and app development enabling innovation using linked health data to say but the least.
Little wonder why Nigeria looses millions of dollars to both these economies and more due to ‘medical tourism’, little wonder how our hospitals are only ‘world class’ on the pages of newspapers.
This week after battling between work stress, cold, fatigue, and wellness, I ended up in a private hospital, after seeing the doctor and getting diagnosed, I was slammed with a bill which I thought was rather high and then it dawned on me, I had no choice, no other option, there was no way I could compare the cost of the treatment with that of other private hospitals so as to make a better decision.
In today’s digital era we are able to compare the costs of lots of services and products to see that which aligns with our purse, taste and more before we make purchase due to the emergence of eCommerce and price checking platforms leveraging data, but this development and innovation has fairly extended to our healthcare systems.
It cannot be over stressed that publishing data on general health outcomes can spur competition and innovation between institutions and healthcare professionals.
Opening healthcare data to analysts and researches allows for scrutiny, question-asking on resource allocations, improves quality, monitoring of indications and consistency of evaluation.
On the patient side it can facilitate preventive healthcare, health outcomes, efficiency, and security.
However our eyes may be dazzled with show, or our ears deceived by sound; however prejudice may warp our wills, or bias darken our understanding, the simple voice of nature and of reason says that until Nigeria begins to mimic this habit of ‘openness’ from other economies, the healthcare system will continue to go the way of a downward spiral.
Blaise Aboh is co-partner at Orodata, a civic tech organization transforming government and public health sector data into insightful narratives to uphold transparency, accountability, and civic inclusion.
Access Holdings Plc and Coronation Group have partnered with Tate Modern to commemorate World Art Day with a virtual session highlighting the global significance of Nigerian modernism.
Access Holdings
The event, titled “In Conversation with Osei Bonsu: Inside Nigerian Modernism,” featured a virtual tour of the Nigerian Modernism exhibition and discussions on the evolution of modern art in Nigeria.
The session brought together staff members across both organisations, reflecting growing institutional engagement with arts and culture as a driver of societal development.
Speaking at the event, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer of Coronation Group, Ngozi Akinyele, emphasised the role of art in shaping identity and national development.
She said that beyond financial capital, cultural and intellectual capital are essential in defining a nation’s prosperity and inspiring dialogue.
Akinyele noted that both organisations were committed to democratising access to art, ensuring it is accessible to a wider audience rather than a select few.
The discussion also featured insights from Tate Modern Curator, Osei Bonsu, and art expert Daniel Wallis, who examined the development of Nigerian modernism and its global relevance.
Bonsu said Nigerian modernism represents an independent reimagining of global art, rooted in the country’s diverse cultural heritage and expressed through unique visual languages.
According to him, the movement challenges narrow, Eurocentric definitions of modernism and highlights the richness of African artistic expression.
The session further underscored the growing international recognition of Nigerian art, particularly through exhibitions at Tate Modern.
Participants also reflected on the visit of Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the exhibition, described as a milestone in promoting Nigeria’s cultural heritage globally.
In his closing remarks, Chief Communications Officer of Access Holdings, Amaechi Okobi, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to advancing African narratives on the global stage.
He said the collaboration with Tate Modern aligns with broader efforts to promote dialogue, preserve cultural identity and support the creative sector.
The event reinforced a shared commitment by Access Holdings, Coronation Group and Tate Modern to elevate African art globally and ensure Nigerian cultural narratives continue to shape international conversations.
Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has issued a regulatory advisory to data controllers and processors across the country following what it described as escalating threats to Nigeria’s data security architecture.
NDPC
In a statement signed by Babatunde Bamigboye, lead of Legal, Enforcement and Regulations, the commission said its technical assessment revealed that some shadowy threat actors were engaged in coordinated operations targeting financial systems and critical digital infrastructure in Nigeria.
The commission urged public institutions to comply with the presidential directive of Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which emphasises the strategic importance of data in national development.
According to the NDPC, the President had declared that “data is the new oil,” stressing the need for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to rigorously capture and safeguard information in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023.
The commission therefore advised all data controllers and processors to urgently strengthen their technical and organisational measures to protect personal data and ensure compliance with the law.
It listed key measures to include the appointment of trained and certified Data Protection Officers, implementation of comprehensive privacy policies and information security standards, as well as conducting Data Privacy Impact Assessments.
Other measures recommended by the NDPC include deployment of robust identity and access controls such as Multi-Factor Authentication, adoption of zero-trust security architecture, prompt remediation of system vulnerabilities, and continuous patch management.
The commission also emphasised the need to secure cloud infrastructure, application programming interfaces (APIs), databases and access credentials, alongside real-time monitoring, logging and threat detection systems.
Further recommendations include encryption and secure credential handling, regular vulnerability assessment and penetration testing of critical systems, as well as routine backup and resilience testing.
The NDPC warned that organisations that fail to implement appropriate data protection measures in accordance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 risk legal liabilities.
It reiterated its commitment to providing regulatory support to organisations while ensuring the protection of personal data and strengthening institutional resilience across all sectors.
The forex market across Africa is witnessing more participants and more regulatory attention than it did just a few years ago. This growth is part of a bigger picture: Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to expand by 4.3% in 2026, while global forex turnover already hit an estimated $9.6 trillion daily in April 2025. However, there’s more to it than macroeconomic figures.
The trends reshaping the market are happening from within. Here are six worth paying close attention to.
1. Trading Has Moved to the Phone
The number of people accessing the market via mobile phones exceeds those accessing it via traditional bank systems. GSMA states that in Sub-Saharan Africa alone, there are more than 1.1 billion registered mobile money accounts.
The International Monetary Fund states that digitalisation and increased usage of the internet are changing payment systems in the Sub-Saharan Africa region.
Mobile access changes traders’ behavior. It lowers the barrier to entry and speeds up deposits and withdrawals. Therefore, brokers who can provide a quality mobile trading experience will have a huge advantage.
2. Regulators Are Watching
The market is becoming more structured and more transparent. In South Africa, the FSCA regulates market conduct for financial institutions. In Kenya, the Capital Markets Authority regulates capital markets and maintains a licensing system that includes online forex brokers.
Nigeria’s SEC has publicly warned that online retail forex trading can be subject to abuse when unregulated. It also provides tools for investors to check operators’ registrations.
As a result, in 2026, more traders are likely to favour brokers that can show clear licensing, transparent operations, and stronger investor safeguards.
3. Volatility Varies by Country
A common mistake is perceiving the African market as one entity. In reality, according to RegTech Afrika, there are 21 countries out of a total of 54 that have a chance of seeing their currencies depreciate in 2025, with some of them losing value by as much as 6% or more.
A trader watching the rand, naira, shilling, or cedi, regional headlines needs more than regional headlines. Country-level macro data, central bank moves, and the US dollar will still play a major role.
4. Cross-Border Payment Infrastructure Is Quietly Improving
Platforms like PAPSS are helping make payments across African countries faster and easier to complete in local currencies. According to official announcements of PAPSS, it has become operational in 18 countries across Africa, with its latest launch in Algeria in 2025. It has also become operational in Kenya through a partnership with KCB Group, as well as in Rwanda through a partnership with Bank of Kigali.
Step by step, Africa is becoming a more financially connected continent.
5. Execution Quality Is the New Standard
Data from the BIS shows that in April 2025, three-quarters of FX trades were intermediated by the global centers of the United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Therefore, the best liquidity and best prices are still linked to global conditions.
For local markets, this raises the bar. Forex traders are becoming increasingly aware that tight spreads, while important, mean little without reliable prices and execution. Brokers like JustMarkets that can bring all of these elements together are in a much stronger position than competitors.
6. Education as a Necessity
Regulatory disclosures from major global brokers illustrate how tough it is to trade without proper knowledge. According to publicly available disclosures, between 70% and 80% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs.
Forex traders who understand risk management and which financial news to follow have a better chance of surviving the market. Brokers who invest in education are more likely to be seen by traders as valuable partners rather than mere facilitators.
The Market Rewards the Prepared
Africa’s forex market in 2026 is shaped by volatility, stricter rules, and mobile-first trading. The traders who combine market knowledge with the right tools and the right broker will find real opportunity here, while those who don’t adapt will find the market increasingly unforgiving.
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