The Federal Government plans to carry out 25,000 free cataract surgeries nationwide by the end of 2027 as part of efforts to reduce avoidable blindness and expand access to eye care.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako announced the target on Thursday in Abuja during an event marking the 2026 World Sight Day. He was represented by the Director of the e-Health Division, Mrs Doris Afam-Aneke.
The surgeries form part of the government’s Renewed Hope Health Connect programme. Salako described the goal as ambitious but achievable, saying it reflected a determination to restore sight, independence, productivity and hope to Nigerians who can benefit from timely surgical intervention.
To broaden access, the government has activated more than 1,400 primary healthcare centres across the country to deliver essential eye care services. More than 3,000 healthcare workers have been trained in 16 states to improve prevention, early detection and management of common eye conditions at community level.
Integrating primary eye care into the primary healthcare system remains a central strategy, Salako said, because sustainable progress depends on making services available closest to the people, especially in underserved areas.
Under the Effective Spectacle Coverage Initiative, known as Jigi-Bola 2.0, more than 1.5 million pairs of prescription spectacles have been distributed in 16 states. Preparations are advanced to extend the programme to 10 additional states. More than 1.5 million school-age children have also been screened for visual problems through the school eye health programme, with those needing treatment referred to appropriate facilities.
The government plans to establish four additional vision centres in Enugu, Edo, Sokoto and Nasarawa states to strengthen secondary eye care, improve referral systems and expand specialised treatment.
Key elements of the National Eye Care Commitment include integrating primary eye care into primary healthcare centres, expanding access to ready-made spectacles through Jigi-Bola 2.0, improving cataract surgical coverage, strengthening the eye health workforce and removing barriers to care.
Nigeria will co-host the first Global Summit on Eye Health on November 2 in Antigua and Barbuda. Salako said the summit would strengthen international collaboration and advance the integration of eye health into universal health coverage, placing Nigeria at the centre of related health diplomacy efforts.
National Coordinator of the National Eye, Ear and Sensory Functions Health Programme, Dr Oteri Okolo Eme, said more than 80 per cent of visual impairment in Nigeria is avoidable. She noted that a network of national master trainers has been established across the six geopolitical zones, about 4,000 primary healthcare workers have been trained, and more than 2,200 others have received specialised primary eye care training. State-level trainers and facilitators have also been prepared to support nationwide expansion.
The government is developing protocols for newborn eye screening to enable early detection and treatment of conditions that can cause visual impairment, she added, and is producing standardised guidelines for national priority eye conditions.
Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, Chief Ayuba Gufwan, said investment in eye health is an investment in people and improves participation in education, employment and community life for those with visual impairment. Chief Medical Director of the National Eye Centre, Kaduna, Dr Amina Hassan Wali, called for stronger partnerships, greater public awareness, early presentation of eye problems, regular examinations and sustained investment.
The event included the unveiling of the National Eye Health Commitments in line with the forthcoming global summit.
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