The Federal Government has announced plans to conduct 25,000 free cataract surgeries across Nigeria by the end of 2027 as part of efforts to reduce avoidable blindness and expand access to quality eye care.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja during an event marking the 2026 World Sight Day.

Salako, represented by the Director of e-Health Division, Mrs Doris Afam-Aneke, said the initiative was part of the Renewed Hope Health Connect programme, designed to restore sight and improve the quality of life of Nigerians.

“As part of our Renewed Hope Health Connect, we’re embarking on performing 25,000 free cataract surgeries across the country by the end of 2027. This target is ambitious, but it is achievable,” he said.

He added that the initiative was intended to restore independence, productivity and hope to Nigerians whose lives could be transformed through timely surgical intervention.

To expand access to eye care, Salako said the government had activated more than 1,400 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) nationwide to provide essential eye care services.

He also disclosed that more than 3,000 healthcare workers had been trained across 16 states to improve the prevention, early detection and management of common eye conditions at the community level.

According to the minister, integrating primary eye care into the primary healthcare system remains central to the government’s strategy for reaching underserved communities.

He said the government had also distributed more than 1.5 million pairs of prescription spectacles to Nigerians in 16 states through the Effective Spectacle Coverage Initiative, known as Jigi-Bola 2.0.

Salako added that preparations were at an advanced stage to extend the initiative to 10 additional states, providing affordable vision correction for people with uncorrected refractive errors.

He further revealed that more than 1.5 million school-age children had been screened for visual problems under the school eye health programme, with those requiring treatment referred to appropriate health facilities.

The minister also announced plans to establish four additional vision centres in Enugu, Edo, Sokoto and Nasarawa states to strengthen secondary eye care services, improve referral systems and expand access to specialised treatment.

He identified the key components of Nigeria’s National Eye Care Commitment as integrating primary eye care into PHCs, expanding access to ready-made spectacles, improving cataract surgical coverage, strengthening the eye health workforce and removing barriers to essential services.

Salako also announced that Nigeria would co-host the first Global Summit on Eye Health, scheduled for November 2 in Antigua and Barbuda.

He described the summit as an opportunity to strengthen international collaboration and promote the integration of eye health into universal health coverage.

“No nation can attain its full potential when millions of its citizens face avoidable barriers to seeing, learning, working and thriving,” he said.

Earlier, the National Coordinator of the National Eye, Ear and Sensory Functions Health Programme, Dr Oteri Okolo Eme, said more than 80 per cent of visual impairment in Nigeria was avoidable, making the integration of primary eye care into the healthcare system a strategic priority.

Eme said the government had established a network of national master trainers across the six geopolitical zones and trained about 4,000 primary healthcare workers, while more than 2,200 others had received specialised training in primary eye care.

She added that state-level trainers and facilitators had also been trained to support the expansion of services nationwide.

The coordinator disclosed that the government was developing protocols for newborn eye screening to enable the early detection and treatment of conditions that could lead to visual impairment.

“We are protecting our children and future generations. We are in the process of developing protocols for newborn screening because we believe that if we detect causes of visual impairment early, we will be able to address them and ensure better outcomes,” she said.

Eme also said the government was developing standardised guidelines to address priority eye conditions.

She called on governments, development partners, the private sector, healthcare workers, teachers, the media and members of the public to support efforts to improve eye health.

The coordinator urged state governments to make dedicated budgetary allocations for eye care and encouraged Nigerians to undergo regular eye examinations.

Also speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, Chief Ayuba Gufwan, said investment in eye health was an investment in people.

He noted that accessible eye care services and support for persons with visual impairment would improve their participation in education, employment and community life.

Similarly, the Chief Medical Director of the National Eye Centre, Kaduna, Dr Amina Hassan Wali, called for stronger partnerships, increased public awareness, early presentation for eye problems, regular eye examinations and sustained investment in eye health.

“Let us work together to ensure that no one is left behind and that everyone can enjoy the gift of sight. Let us all love our eyes and make eye health a priority,” she said.

The event featured the unveiling of Nigeria’s National Eye Health Commitments, aligned with preparations for the forthcoming Global Summit on Eye Health.