The Federal Government has disclosed plans to offer scholarships to medical students as part of efforts to develop local expertise in robotic surgery after plans were announced in Nigeria.
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The initiative is aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s capacity for advanced surgical procedures and reducing reliance on foreign expertise for specialised medical care.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, disclosed the government’s plans during the opening of the Redeemers Health Village–RoboMed (RHV–ROBOMED) Robotic Academy at Redemption City, Ogun State.
Alausa said the academy would help prepare a new generation of Nigerian surgeons to practise robotic and robot-assisted surgery within the country, rather than travelling abroad for training.
“This occasion speaks directly to our responsibility to prepare Nigerians for the future of medicine and to build the capacity that will allow advanced clinical practice to flourish here at home,” the minister said.
The minister said the academy had requested government support through scholarships for doctors, medical students and other specialists interested in robotic surgery.
Responding to the request, Alausa said the programme would be incorporated into a Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund)-funded Centre of Excellence.
He said he would arrange a meeting between the academy and TETFund’s Director of Academic Programmes to advance the partnership.
“Any student who is going to participate will be fully funded by TETFund,” Alausa said, adding that the government was committed to supporting the initiative.
The minister said the scholarship plan aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda for medical education and the development of local healthcare capacity.
He also said the Federal Government had spent more than N250bn in the past two years to prepare medical professionals to meet Nigeria’s needs and practise amid scientific and technological advances.
Alausa commended the RHV–RoboMed partnership, saying advanced equipment would only make a difference when trained professionals could operate it competently, teach others and use it responsibly in patient care.
The Chief Executive Officer of Redeemers Health Village, Dr Adedamola Dada, said the academy had been designed to provide structured training rather than merely issue certificates.
He said the programme would be a postgraduate, post-fellowship diploma, with certificates issued by the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria.
Dada said the partnership had acquired two robotic systems valued at about $4m. One would be used for surgical services, while the other would support training.
He said the academy’s target was to train 400 specialists over two years, including surgeons in urology, general surgery and gynaecology, operating-room personnel, biomedical engineers, product specialists and administrators.
According to Dada, the goal was to deploy trained personnel across Nigeria so that robotic surgery could become available in different parts of the country.
The Chief Executive Officer of RoboMed Global, Prof Obi Davies-Ekwenna, said the academy was established to develop the specialist expertise needed to sustain and expand robotic surgery and other advanced medical technologies.
He said the training would equip healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills to deliver precise, minimally invasive surgical care and contribute to surgical excellence in Nigeria and beyond.
The announcement signals a government-backed effort to build local capacity in a specialised field of medicine. However, the details of the scholarship process, including eligibility requirements, application dates and the number of students to be funded, have not yet been announced.
How to apply
No application portal, deadline or formal scholarship application procedure has been announced in the information provided. Interested medical students, doctors and other specialists should await official guidance from the Federal Ministry of Education, TETFund, Redeemers Health Village or RoboMed. Applicants should confirm the eligibility criteria and application process through those institutions before submitting documents or making any payment.
