Nigeria Targets 25 Million Vulnerable Citizens in New Eye Care Initiative, Pledges 5 Million Reading Glasses
…FG to provide 25,000 subsidised cataract surgeries by 2027
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to eliminating avoidable blindness and expanding access to affordable and quality eye care services for more than 25 million vulnerable Nigerians.
The initiative will particularly target women, older persons and residents of underserved rural communities as part of efforts to reduce preventable vision loss across the country.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, disclosed this while delivering the closing address at the Global Summit for Eye Health in St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, on November 3, 2026.
The summit was held under the theme, “From Commitments to a Shared Horizon of Sight.”
Speaking on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the minister outlined the Federal Government’s key commitments under its eye health transformation agenda.
These include the integration of Primary Eye Care into the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), training of 15,000 primary healthcare workers, distribution of five million pairs of ready-made reading spectacles and provision of 25,000 fully subsidised cataract surgeries by 2027.
Nigeria also pledged to increase its active eye care workforce by 20 per cent and improve its Effective Cataract Surgical Coverage (eCSC) by 30 percentage points by 2030.
Salako described eye health as a fundamental human right and an essential component of national development, noting that avoidable vision loss affects education, household welfare, personal safety and economic productivity.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s experience with the JigiBola eye care initiative introduced in Lagos State about 25 years ago, the minister recalled his participation in the programme as a young medical officer.
He said the initiative had evolved into a broader national vision through the Effective Spectacle Coverage Initiative, known as JigiBola 2.0, demonstrating how successful state-level interventions could inspire nationwide healthcare reforms.
The minister also highlighted Nigeria’s participation in the World Health Organization’s Global Cataract Surgery Initiative, known as SEE 2045, which seeks to accelerate efforts towards eliminating cataract-related blindness.
He stressed that achieving the country’s eye health targets would require sustained domestic financing, stronger public-private partnerships, international development cooperation and effective accountability.
Salako urged participating countries and global partners to translate their commitments into practical interventions, including the provision of spectacles, timely referrals and affordable cataract surgeries.
He commended Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Tanzania and China for their commitment to advancing the global initiative.
The minister further disclosed that approximately $60 million had been pledged towards assistive technology, while 15 private-sector commitments valued at over $468 million had been secured for accelerated eye care implementation.
He added that about 143 additional commitments had also been received from organisations outside government.
Salako appreciated the Government and people of Antigua and Barbuda for hosting the summit, while commending the World Health Organization, the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness and other development partners for supporting efforts to advance global eye health.
He maintained that the ultimate measure of success would be the number of people whose sight is protected or restored through accessible and sustainable eye care services.
