The African Development Bank and the Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, is partnering in financing an ultra-modern medical facility in the university with aim of stopping the billions of Naira Nigerians spend for medical treatment abroad annually.
Speaking at an interactive session with the ADB delegation, the ABUAD’s founder, Chief Afe Babalola(SAN) , said the university is going into such partnership to develop the health sector, the way the university has intervened and pioneered quality university education in Nigeria.
He said the hospital will not only serve in treating Nigerians of various ailments, but would also serve as a training ground for medical students in various fields of medicine.
Babalola, who conducted the delegation round the construction site of the ongoing medical hospital in the university, frowned at the way Nigerians are spending billions of naira annually to treat various ailments that are supposed to be treated locally abroad.
“Just as ABUAD intervened in giving Nigerians the best way to run a university education, we are also intervening this time to develop the health sector.
“We are doing this gigantic medical project through direct labour. A sum of N2 billion has been spent so far. We need another N6 billion. We are determined to put the best diagnostic equipment in place and this will cost a sum of N6 billion if we are to achieve the dream.
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“We also wants to hire the services of the best consultants in Nigeria and abroad to start it and also train our experts here for sustainability. To finish the entire building and to get the best experts will cost another N2 billion making our expenses on this hospital to beN10 billion”, he disclosed.
Speaking on behalf of the ADB delegation, Mr. Akinwumi Emmanuel, said the bank rated ABUAD as one of the best private universities in Africa and globally, saying no amount will be too much to be invested in such a committed university that is striving towards making Africa a force to be reckoned with educationally.
The ADB chief said the International Finance Corporation and KMWD of Germany, which are arms of the World Bank, have shown commitment on the possibility of exploring investment opportunities in ABUAD.
“We came here some months ago to see what were on grounds and we filed our reports alongside our proposals to the headquarters and some experts in the financial organization were sent down to validate it.
“If this partnership should scale through, ABUAD will be the first university to be funded by ADB in Nigeria. This is a landmark achievement necessitated by the big dream and vision of ABUAD’s founder”, he said.