Nigeria plans to train 400 robotic surgery specialists over the next two years through a partnership between Redeemers Health Village and RoboMed, with the Federal Government offering scholarships to medical students and other healthcare professionals. The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced the government support during the opening of the RHV-RoboMed Robotic Academy in Redemption City, Ogun State. The initiative aims to strengthen Nigeria's capacity for advanced surgical procedures and reduce dependence on foreign expertise for specialised medical care. Alausa described the academy as the first of its kind in Nigeria, where surgeons can train in robotic and robot-assisted surgery within Nigerian institutions.
The government will make the robotic surgery training part of a TETFund-funded Centre of Excellence, with all participating students to be fully funded by TETFund, the education minister said. The scholarship commitment aligns with President Bola Tinubu's agenda for medical education, with the government having spent over N250bn in the last two years to prepare medical professionals for advanced practice. Alausa stated that advanced equipment becomes valuable only when skilled professionals can use it competently, teach others and apply it responsibly in patient care.
The RHV-RoboMed partnership has invested approximately $4m in robotic equipment, with one robot dedicated to surgical services and another for training purposes. The Chief Executive Officer of RHV, Dr Adedamola Dada, said the academy will offer a postgraduate, post-fellowship diploma programme, with certificates issued by the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, ensuring international certification. Training will be inclusive across the robotic surgery ecosystem and is not limited to surgeons alone.
The 400 specialists to be trained over two years will include surgeons in urology, general surgery and gynaecology, as well as operating-room theatre personnel, biomedical engineers, product specialists and administrators, according to Dada. The trained professionals will be deployed across the country to enable robotic surgery services in all regions. Prof. Obi Davies-Ekwenna, Chief Executive Officer of RoboMed Global, said the academy would equip healthcare professionals with knowledge and skills required for precise, minimally invasive surgical care and advance surgical excellence in Nigeria and beyond.