BoI lifts health sector with N100bn in 5 years

The Bank of Industry (BoI) said it has invested over N100 billion for the development of the country’s health sector in the last five years.

The Managing Director of the bank, Mr Olukayode Pitan, stated this in Abuja at the ground-breaking event for the African Centre for Medical Excellence (AMCE).

The AMCE facility located in Abuja is being developed by the African Export-Import Bank (AFREXIM) in partnership with Kings College Hospital, London; BoI; GE HealthCare; Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPC) and the African Finance Corporation (AFC) to provide healthcare to low- and high-income patients in Africa.

Construction of the first phase of the Abuja AMCE is scheduled to be completed in 30 months while the entire four phases will be done over six years starting with a 170-bed specialist hospital and reaching a 500-bed facility.

Pitan said, “We at the Bank of Industry are very excited to be part of this project which would focus on cardio-vascular cases and oncology not only here in Nigeria but in the entire West African sub-region.”

President of Afreximbank, Prof Benedict Oramah, said the facility will also offer education and clinical research services with a view to building leading talent and becoming a top tier-level medical facility.

He said the Abuja AMCE will not only enhance access to healthcare services for 50,000 people every year, but also provide 3,000 jobs during its construction and operational phases.