Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare recognized for revitalizing primary healthcare and shaping Nigeria’s Health Systems.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare
Source: Time Magazine
In a resounding global recognition of Nigeria’s strides in public health transformation, Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, has been named among TIME100 Health’s Most Influential People of 2025. The recognition, bestowed by TIME Magazine, celebrates global leaders who are reimagining health systems and catalyzing impact at scale.
For Dr. Pate, this honour is deeply personal. Growing up in Northern Nigeria, he lost a childhood friend to polio—a preventable disease. That tragic loss planted the seed for a lifelong commitment to strengthening health systems for the most vulnerable.
Dr. Pate, a Harvard-trained physician and former Global Director at the World Bank, has traversed over 100 countries, studying health delivery models. Then in 2023, he returned home to lead Nigeria’s health sector transformation at a time of pressing need—where maternal and child mortality, infectious disease outbreaks, and weak health infrastructure continue to challenge progress.
His reform blueprint—grounded in decentralized implementation, health system resilience, and community ownership—has already begun yielding results. Since October 2023:
- Over 12 million girls have been vaccinated against Human Papillomavirus (HPV).
- More than 900 Primary Health Care (PHC) centres have been upgraded nationwide, providing essential services to 12 million Nigerians, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
- His flagship “Know Your Numbers” campaign has screened 10 million citizens for hypertension, diabetes, and cholesterol, reinforcing a critical shift towards preventive health and early diagnosis.
The Civil Society-Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) is proud to be a strategic ally in Dr. Pate’s multisectoral health and nutrition agenda. The alliance is incredibly proud to celebrate Dr. Pate on this remarkable global recognition. We affirm that his leadership has placed equity, prevention, and nutrition at the heart of Nigeria’s health priorities. We will continue to amplify his vision and support the journey towards a malnutrition-free Nigeria.
TIME100’s recognition of Dr. Pate’s leadership is a profound recognition of what locally led innovation can achieve—when matched with global expertise and political will. It affirms Nigeria’s growing reputation as a hub for health and nutrition sector reforms on the African continent. Click to see the announcement on Times100 https://time.com/collections/time100-health-2025/7279598/muhammad-ali-pate/
TIME100 Health is an annual list curated by TIME Magazine, spotlighting the most innovative and impactful figures advancing health equity, systems strengthening, and public health innovation globally.
