The Federal Government has pledged to distribute five million pairs of ready-made reading spectacles and provide 25,000 fully subsidised cataract surgeries by 2027 as part of efforts to improve access to affordable eye care and reduce avoidable blindness in Nigeria.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, announced the commitments 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.”
Salako said the commitments reflected the Federal Government’s determination to improve eye health outcomes, particularly among vulnerable Nigerians.
He also outlined additional targets, including the continued integration of Primary Eye Care into the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), training of 15,000 primary healthcare workers and increasing the active eye care workforce by 20 per cent.
According to him, Nigeria is also targeting a 30-percentage-point improvement in Effective Cataract Surgical Coverage (eCSC) by 2030.
He said the interventions were expected to expand access to quality eye care for more than 25 million vulnerable citizens, particularly women, older persons and underserved rural populations.
Describing eye health as essential to human development, Salako noted that avoidable vision loss goes beyond medical concerns, affecting education, household welfare, personal safety and national productivity.
He said, “Eye health is fundamental to human development,” stressing that protecting people’s sight was necessary for improving their quality of life and economic participation.
The minister recalled his experience as a young medical officer participating in the JigiBola eye care initiative introduced in Lagos State about 25 years ago.
He explained that the programme’s evolution into the national Effective Spectacle Coverage Initiative, known as JigiBola 2.0, demonstrated how successful state-level interventions could be expanded into national programmes.
Salako also highlighted Nigeria’s participation in the World Health Organisation’s Global Cataract Surgery Initiative, known as SEE 2045, describing it as an opportunity to accelerate efforts towards eliminating cataract-related blindness.
He emphasised that achieving the country’s eye health targets would require sustained domestic financing, stronger public-private partnerships and collaboration with international development partners.
The minister said accountability would also be critical to ensuring that commitments made at the summit translated into measurable improvements in eye care delivery.
He further disclosed that the summit attracted approximately $60 million in pledges towards assistive technology, alongside 15 private-sector commitments valued at more than $468 million.
According to him, approximately 143 additional commitments were made by organisations outside government.
Salako commended Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Tanzania and China for their participation in advancing the global eye health agenda.
He urged participating countries and development partners to move beyond declarations and translate their commitments into concrete national actions.
“The ultimate measure of success would be the number of people whose sight is protected or restored through accessible, affordable and sustainable eye care services,” he said.