Can a brand new hospital in Nigeria finish medical tourism?

The imposing constructing sitting on the fringe of 6.5 hectares of land on the outskirts of the Nigerian capital, Abuja, is the positioning of a brand new experiment in reverse medical tourism. Constructed at a value of greater than $300m, the African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE), which began operations on 5 June 2025, is a specialist hospital for non-communicable illnesses reminiscent of cancers, cardiovascular illnesses and blood problems – together with sickle cell anaemia, which is most typical in African populations – and different circumstances. It’s the largest specialised personal hospital in Nigeria.

Every year 1000’s of rich Africans flock overseas, primarily to Europe and America, to hunt medical therapies not discovered at dwelling. The African Export–Import Financial institution (Afreximbank) estimates that they spend $6bn to $10bn yearly on such journeys. Nigerians alone are estimated to spend a minimum of $2bn yearly on international hospital visits.

The AMCE undertaking developed by Afreximbank in partnership with King’s School Hospital, London, is designed to reverse the prevalence of medical tourism and make regionally accessible the medical companies for which many flock overseas at nice expense. First, by making accessible, regionally, the top-notch medical companies for which many flock overseas at nice expense.

“We’ve recruited from all around the world the easiest we are able to discover,” mentioned Brian Beaver, the chief government officer of AMCE. “And because it seems, the easiest continuously have been Nigerian medical doctors and nurses. Irrespective of the place we go, the most effective well being establishments on the earth, the highest echelons, are full of Nigerian medical doctors and nurses.”

As Nigeria’s well being amenities deteriorated within the face of poor governance and insufficient funding from the mid-Eighties, lots of its finest medical professionals started to to migrate overseas in quest of higher alternatives {and professional} fulfilment. The World Well being Group estimates that 2,000 medical doctors go away Nigeria yearly for locations just like the US, the UK and Canada.

A life-changing expertise

The thought of establishing a world-class hospital in Nigeria is rooted within the private expertise of Benedict Oramah, the president of Afreximbank. “In 2013, I had my very own shut name once I turned severely sick and was evacuated to King’s School Hospital in London, the place a frantic battle to avoid wasting my life ensued,” Oramah mentioned on the launch. “Being right here as we speak is a testomony to the ability of cutting-edge medical analysis, scientific data, and a strong healthcare ecosystem.” Oramah’s profitable remedy at King’s sparked conversations together with his physician, Ghulam Mufti, and different officers of the hospital – conversations that culminated within the opening of AMCE in Abuja. The brand new medical centre is the primary of a number of to be situated in several areas of Africa, providing state-of-the-art medical therapies and analysis.

“That is what occurs when African establishments confront African challenges with African options,” remarked Nigerian vice chairman Kashim Shettima on the ribbon-cutting occasion, the place he represented President Bola Tinubu. “With the biggest stem cell lab in West Africa and plans for a medical faculty, this Centre is greater than a hospital, it’s a place to heal the sick, and to coach the longer term.”

Affordability in Africa

One main concern that got here up amongst attendees was how reasonably priced AMCE therapies could be. “A number of the care may be costly,” conceded Beaver. “For essentially the most half, we’re not treating malaria, we’re not treating typhoid. We’re treating very, very severe illnesses. We’re not solely treating sickle cell anaemia, however we’re additionally curing it completely.”

Nonetheless, the board of administrators of the hospital have arrange a basis to boost funds, primarily to subsidise sufferers and likewise to fund analysis, in response to Beaver. That basis raised $75m earlier than the hospital noticed its first affected person. And there are extra pledges from the pharmaceutical firm Novartis, the Dangote Basis and the Invoice Gates Basis.

The AMCE has a capability of 170 beds, making it the largest specialised, personal hospital in West Africa coping with cardiovascular illnesses, oncology, haematology and different medical companies. As well as, the hospital has 15 stem cell remedy isolation rooms, a 20-bed intensive care unit and 5 working theatres. There are plans for growth to 500 mattress areas.

The hospital may even be concerned in analysis. Most prescribed drugs presently offered the world over are primarily based on North American and European genomes. The result’s that prescribed drugs are sometimes “not optimised for the African genome,” mentioned Beaver. “They have to be optimised and we’ll be doing these scientific trials right here.”

As a accomplice, King’s School Hospital will function a scientific adviser to AMCE. The 2 organisations will share scientific protocols, with the medical professionals on the AMCE working instantly with specialists at King’s School, notably on cardiovascular and blood problems, in response to Beaver. They may even work collectively in analysis, exchanging data from their findings.

Catalytic purpose

“Our imaginative and prescient for the African Medical Centre of Excellence is not only to offer top-notch healthcare,” mentioned Oramah, “however to function a catalyst for the transformation of the African well being sector, making a daring assertion to the world that Africa is lastly taking its future into its personal fingers in healthcare sovereignty and world requirements.”

Pushed primarily by personal funding, the AMCE has not solely obtained funding from Afreximbank however has additionally obtained vital curiosity from different establishments. These embrace each the Financial institution of Trade and the Improvement Financial institution of Nigeria, in addition to the state-owned oil firm the Nigerian Nationwide Petroleum Company (NNPC).

“At the moment, we don’t simply open a hospital,” famous CEO Beaver on the opening. “We launch a healthcare revolution for Africa.”