By Kenneth Oboh

On 24th May 2025, the urgent need to transform Nigeria’s healthcare system took center stage at an exclusive investors summit hosted by Vestitude Partners Limited at Black Diamond Hotel in Lagos. The one-day event brought together healthcare professionals, investors, and development stakeholders with a shared mission to fix the broken funding system in Nigeria’s health sector.

At the heart of the summit was a sobering reality: most hospitals across the country remain underfunded and underequipped, often lacking even the most basic diagnostic tools. For Rejoice Chiamaka Azodo, CEO of Vestitude Partners Limited and convener of the summit, the message was clear. The time to act is now.

“Our business model provides an end-to-end platform to invest in healthcare,” Azodo explained. “Unlike others who only offer financing, we walk with investors from start to finish. From health project management to investment facilitation and asset sustainability, we ensure that capital delivers care where it matters most.”

She emphasized what she described as “social returns,” highlighting the powerful impact of investing in hospital infrastructure, diagnostic tools, and treatment equipment. “You’re not just earning financial returns, you’re saving lives. It’s not charity. It’s responsible investment,” she said.

The summit attracted high-level participation from across sectors. In attendance were Dr. Bolaji Ogundare, GED at Newcross and Pan Ocean Oil and Gas; Prof. Ehi Eric Esoimeme, Professor of Business Law at James Hope University and representative of E-Four and AAF; the CEO of GoldTreats USA (fintech); HR Manager at Coca-Cola West Africa; the M/D/CEO of Chaad engineering; and the Director of Newbury Oil and Gas, among others.

Vestitude Partners Limited unveiled a pipeline of strategic healthcare investment opportunities. These included public-private partnerships (PPPs) aimed at scaling and managing dialysis centers across public hospitals in Nigeria. Another significant opportunity discussed was the establishment of a new cancer center in the South East to ease the immense pressure on the UNTH Cancer Centre in Enugu, currently the only cancer treatment facility serving the entire region. The session also featured a keynote on intersectoral collaboration, a roundtable on project sustainability, and a Q&A session with potential investors.

Participants were inspired. “This is the first time I’m seeing a complete, end-to-end plan for getting involved in healthcare not just for public good, but for returns too,” said Ginika Okoro, Human Relations Manager at Coca-Cola West Africa. “The conversations were rich, and they gave us real tools to think and commit.”

Prof. Ehi Esoimeme, a legal and risk mitigation expert, praised Vestitude’s structured approach. “What moved me was their focus on risk mitigation strategies. For any serious investor, that’s essential,” he noted.

For Dr. Bolaji Ogundare, the summit addressed one of the healthcare sector’s most persistent challenges. “Diagnosis is still a big challenge. When an organization like Vestitude steps up to bring modern tools into our hospitals, it elevates the entire health ecosystem,” he said.

An upcoming mobile app has been described by Vestitude Partners Limited as a smart healthcare investment and payment companion, designed to help investors fund and manage hospital projects with ease and real-time transparency.

“We can all sit and talk about what’s wrong, or we can become part of the solution,” Azodo concluded. “This summit was a call to action. Impact and profit do not have to be mutually exclusive. It is time for capital to work for healthcare in Nigeria.”