By John Ishaku
ABUJA, NIGERIA — The Federal Government has unveiled plans to establish world-class medical simulation centres across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, as part of efforts to increase annual medical school admissions to 20,000 within the next three years.
Minister of Education Dr. Tunji Alausa disclosed the initiative while receiving the report of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Medical Simulation Committee, signalling a major expansion in healthcare training capacity for medical and allied health professionals.
Government targets scale-up of health workforce training
Speaking during the presentation of the committee’s report, Dr. Alausa said the proposed simulation centres are designed to provide practical, skills-based learning for:
- medical and dental students,
- nursing students,
- pharmacy students, and
- other allied healthcare trainees.
The minister said the centres would deliver improved “world-class” practical training, reflecting growing demand for health workforce education and stronger clinical preparation. The initiative is expected to support Federal Government goals under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, including expansion of Nigeria’s healthcare workforce.
Why the simulation centres now: enrolment boom and training gaps
Alausa tied the intervention to rising enrolment into health-related programmes. He said nursing enrolment increased significantly—from about 38,000 three years earlier to more than 120,000 students across nursing schools.
He added that annual medical school admissions have also grown—from around 5,000 students at the start of Tinubu’s tenure to almost 12,000 currently.
“Our goal in the next three years will be to increase the number of annual medical student enrolment in medical schools to about 20,000,” the minister stated.
He further indicated that admissions into pharmacy and dental schools have likewise recorded growth, reinforcing the need for expanded practical training infrastructure.
TETFund-led blueprint for practical competence
The minister commended the Chairman of the Medical Simulation Committee, Dr. Wale Suleiman, and other committee members for advancing the report and plans toward setting up the centres. According to the Education Ministry, the initiative is expected to ensure that the growing number of health professionals entering training receives adequate hands-on experience—using simulated environments to strengthen competency before clinical placements.
Simulation centres across six geopolitical zones
The Federal Government says the centres will be distributed across all six geopolitical zones to broaden access to modern training tools and practical learning platforms.
From 12,000 to 20,000: admissions target for medical schools
The government’s three-year target is a major scale-up in annual medical admissions, aimed at expanding the pipeline of doctors and healthcare professionals.
Tackling “Japa” and healthcare workforce shortages
The initiative comes amid sustained concern over the migration of Nigerian-trained healthcare workers—commonly referred to as “Japa.” Stakeholders have argued that the loss of skilled health workers worsens shortages already affecting Nigeria’s healthcare system.
Government officials say the simulation centres are part of a broader response: scaling training capacity while improving practical education quality for a growing student population.
Improving practical training quality—not just numbers
Alausa framed the programme as an evidence-based commitment to education improvement, emphasising that increasing enrolment must be matched with adequate practical training to prepare graduates for real clinical environments.
With health workforce migration continuing to raise pressure on Nigeria’s already strained healthcare system, the Federal Government is moving to expand clinical training capacity through six medical simulation centres nationwide.
By targeting an increase in annual medical school admissions to 20,000 in three years, and by strengthening practical training for medical and allied health students, the government’s plan seeks to ensure that a larger pool of healthcare trainees is matched with the skills required for competent service delivery.
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