Nigeria to be Africa’s future health hub , says D-8 Sec-Gen

Amb. Ku Jaafar Ku Shaari, Secretary-General, Developing Eight (D-8) Organisation for Economic Cooperation, says Nigeria will become the future health hub of Africa.

Ku Shaari made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sideline of the official signing of the D-8 agreement on Health and Social Protection programmes in Abuja.

He said the choice of Nigeria as Headquarters of the Health and Social Protection programme office was informed by its population size and contribution to the growth of the D-8.

According to him, Nigeria’s support to the D-8 contributed to the success so far recorded by the organisation since its inception.

Ku Shaari said: “Nigeria is a huge economy here in Africa and there is a need for us to look at Nigeria, not only to improve its health sector.

“At the same time, we believe that Nigeria can turn up to become a hub for not only medical sector, health sector, social protection sector, but we should have one hub in Africa.

“So, we asked the government of Nigeria to support this idea and I am very happy to inform that it has been very committed, it has been very supportive of this idea.

“Now within a year, we are able to come back here, looking at the possibility of us signing our Headquarters Agreement.
“Where, the government also has agreed to provide the facility for us to embark on the new initiative.”

He commended Nigeria’s effort in the area of beefing up regional security and projection of African economy, urging the country to sustain its feats as the giant of Africa.

He said that security was key to tackling uncertainty when dealing with issues that surround human trafficking because it is a concern of everyone.

NAN reports that the D-8 which was launched on June 15, 1997comprise eight emerging national economies which include Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkey.