A consortium of Nigerian-American medical professionals and businessmen has formed a Public-Private Partnership with the Enugu State Government to build the African Medical City (AMC), a revolutionary 100-hectare medical tourism complex projected to cost over $300 million.
On July 17, Enugu State Governor Dr. Peter Mbah signed a memorandum of agreement with the AMC team, ushering in a new era in African healthcare.
The project comes at a critical time for Nigeria, which is seeing a massive brain drain of medical personnel to the United Kingdom and the United States as a result of a failing healthcare system. With Nigerians spending more than $1 billion per year on medical tourism, the African Medical City is a light of hope for both Nigeria and the African continent.
The African Medical City organisation, which has 21 members, was represented at the signing event by its Chairman, Ethelbert Nwanegbo; President/CEO, Dr. Uchenna Ogbozor; and Financial Advisor, Joseph Michael Budetti.
Nwanegbo noted that the African Medical City initiative arose from a strong desire to reduce Africa’s reliance on the West for modern healthcare solutions.
“It dates back to 2015 when we all reimagined Africa and its healthcare system. We envisioned a new Africa where healthcare is not a problem. Where every child, regardless of their financial status, should have access to the same healthcare system as anybody. And that’s what brought us here today. We know it’s a long road ahead, but we’re grateful that we’ve scaled the first leg of it,” said Nwanegbo.
He added, “African Medical City is not a hospital. It’s a city on its own, which will be built on 100 hectares of land. We’ll have a 15-hectare solar plant. When you think of state-of-the-art equipment, everything will be in African Medical City.”
Governor Peter Mbah lauded the project as a timely and monumental venture aligned with his administration’s economic expansion goals, positioning Enugu as a prime destination for business, investment, tourism, and living.
He said: “What we are witnessing here today is monumental, and we cannot take the value and the significance of it for granted. This is in line with the humongous promise we made to our people during our campaign for office to grow our GDP exponentially from $4.4 billion to $30 billion.
“But we recognised that a lot of that growth will come from the private sector; and we also recognised that it has to be enabled by the government. So, our strategy was to have a government-enabled, but private sector-driven economy.
“So, coming to Enugu with an investment size of over $300 million, we knew it was something that must not escape us when we heard of it. We must do everything necessary to ensure that the investment is not only sitting here, but that we also recruit you as one of our testimonials, people who can market Enugu based on your experience in terms of how we made it easy for you to come here and invest and how we have also shown transparency, accountability and integrity in the entire process.
“You can be assured that we will discharge all those obligations creditably.”
The Enugu State Government allocated 100 hectares of land for the project in exchange for 10 percent equity in the African Medical City. Governor Mbah’s administration demonstrated its commitment by increasing the initially requested 75 hectares to 100 hectares.
On Friday, July 19, the Enugu State Commissioner for Health, Emmanuel Obi, accompanied the AMC team on a tour of the designated land. Road construction is already underway, signaling the government’s dedication to the project. The developing neighbourhood also features one of the state’s impressively equipped smart primary school projects, which is already operational.
The AMC President, Dr. Ogbozor also highlighted Enugu’s strategic location and the state government’s supportive disposition as key factors in selecting it for the project.
“Enugu State is kind of in the center of all the hub of transportation. If you’re going from Port Harcourt to Abuja, you have to go through Enugu State. If you plan to go from Cross River to Lagos, you have to go through Enugu State,” said Dr. Ogbozor.
He also pointed out the abundance of medical facilities in the region, such as the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) and the Enugu State Teaching Hospital, which would provide a robust talent pool for AMC.
Features of African Medical City
- Specialty Care Center
- School of Medicine
- Primary Care Center
- Children’s Hospital
- Telemedicine
- Robust Health Insurance Scheme
- Concierge/Executive Care Center
- Research and Clinical Trials Center
- Pharma Research Center
- Cancer Centre
- 15 Hectares Solar Plant
The African Medical City promises to elevate healthcare delivery in Africa, fostering innovation and providing world-class medical services within the continent.
