Redeemer’s Health Village has invested $4 million in the development of robotic surgical services and training in Nigeria in an efforts to reduce medical tourism and build a local pool of specialists capable of delivering advanced surgical procedures.
Ademola Dada, the Chief Executive Officer of Redeemer’s Health Village, said the investment covered the delivery of robotic surgical services and the training of Nigerian healthcare professionals who would eventually take over the procedures.
Speaking during the launch of the hospital’s robotic surgery programme held in Lagos at the weekend, Dada explained that the decision to invest in training was deliberate effort to ensure the country is independent on foreign specialists.
According to him, the objective is to prevent a situation where patients requiring robotic surgery are made to wait for foreign surgeons to travel to Nigeria, perform procedures and return abroad without transferring the necessary skills to Nigerian professionals.
He explained that the hospital, in partnership with RoboMed Global, was establishing a pipeline of Nigerian professionals who would be trained to perform robotic procedures, monitor patients and provide follow-up care.
Dada said the training would not be restricted to surgeons, stressing that the successful adoption of robotic surgery required a multidisciplinary workforce involving biomedical engineers, nurses, anaesthetists and other healthcare professionals.
He noted that the initiative would enable the country to participate in the global shift towards technology-driven surgery rather than remain dependent on conventional procedures or foreign healthcare systems.
‘Robotics is new in Nigeria, and of course we all know that it gives better precision, patient goes home earlier, there’s less trauma, and of course the outcome is better,’ he said.
The RHV chief executive added that the programme was designed to make advanced surgical care accessible to Nigerians at a fraction of what patients would pay to receive similar treatment in the United States or Europe.
According to him, robotic surgery at the facility would be offered at about five per cent of the cost of receiving comparable treatment abroad.
He added that the initiative was not being designed exclusively for Nigerians but would target patients across the West African sub-region, positioning Nigeria as a potential hub for robotic surgical services in the region.
He also said RHV would collaborate with the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, the West African College of Surgeons and other surgical training institutions to ensure that the programme contributes to the development of postgraduate medical education in the country.
He explained that once the programme begins producing results, the hospital would invite relevant institutions to examine existing curricula and determine whether modifications were required to incorporate robotic surgery training.
Dada said the ultimate objective was to train professionals who could eventually spread robotic surgical expertise across the country rather than concentrate the service in one institution.
Iziaq Salako, Physician and Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, who spoke at the launch, described the investment as a demonstration of confidence in Nigeria’s healthcare sector and the country’s ongoing economic reforms.
Salako said the robotic surgery programme aligned with the Federal Government’s efforts to improve health outcomes, unlock the healthcare value chain and reverse the trend of Nigerians travelling abroad for advanced medical treatment.
He said the government was aware of the important role of private healthcare providers in delivering high-end medical services and would continue to create an environment that encouraged more private-sector investment in healthcare.
The minister described robotic surgery as an important addition to Nigeria’s technology-driven healthcare capacity.
He stressed that it would offered greater surgical precision, faster healing, early discharge and improved outcomes for patients.
He added that the programme would strengthen the country’s capacity to provide advanced, minimally invasive surgery through Nigerian professionals trained to global standards.
‘In practical terms, it means a farmer from Ondo, a teacher from Ekiti, a trader from Ogun or any part of Nigeria will no longer need a passport to access world-class surgical intervention,’ Salako said.
The minister said the investment would also support the government’s ambition to reduce medical tourism and retain foreign exchange that would otherwise be spent by Nigerians seeking specialised treatment overseas.
Salako noted that the programme included a structured training programme for surgeons interested in robotic surgery, which would lead to certification to practise the technology safely.
He commended RoboMed Global Inc., a United States-based, Nigerian diaspora-led enterprise, for partnering with RHV, describing the collaboration as an example of how Nigerian professionals abroad could contribute their expertise to the development of the country’s health system.
On his part, Olorunnimbe Mamora, Physician and former Minister of Health, said the initiative represented an important step in the evolution of surgical practice in Nigeria and West Africa.
The former Minister of Health, however, cautioned that acquiring robotic equipment alone would not guarantee success, stressing that Nigeria must develop the broader ecosystem required to sustain the technology.
Obi Ekwenna, Professor and Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of RoboMed Global, said the partnership with RHV was intended to build surgical capacity that would remain in Nigeria rather than rely on visiting foreign specialists.
Ekwenna disclosed that RoboMed began robotic surgery in Nigeria in November 2025 at NISA Premier Hospital in Abuja and had completed 26 robotic surgical cases in the country, covering urology, gynaecology, living kidney donation and complex abdominal surgery.
He also said the programme had recorded what he described as Africa’s first robotic Whipple procedure, while Nigerian surgeons were being trained alongside faculty from Nigeria, the United States and other countries.
Under the RHV partnership, Ekwenna said a Toumai robotic surgical system with telesurgery capability would support an initial 100 robotic procedures for patients in Lagos.
He added that a dedicated robotic training system had also been provided at no cost as the foundation for the RoboMed Academy, which would be academically affiliated with Redeemer’s University.
According to him, the academy is expected to serve not only as a centre where robotic surgery is performed but also as a facility for producing trained robotic surgeons in the country.
Ekwenna said RoboMed and RHV also planned to connect Abuja and Lagos and pursue Nigeria’s first robotic telesurgery, potentially allowing specialists to participate in procedures across significant distances.