BERLIN – A new health technology agreement between the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union (EU) has exposed Nigeria’s absence in a crucial continental partnership on digital health systems.
The €8 million deal, announced at the World Health Summit 2025 in Berlin, aims to expand the Global Digital Health Certification Network (GDHCN) across sub-Saharan Africa, according to a WHO press statement on Tuesday.
WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Systems, Access and Data, Dr. Yukiko Nakatani, said the partnership will “accelerate digital transformation of health systems and improve pandemic preparedness.”
Under the plan, WHO will provide technical support and policy guidance to participating countries in collaboration with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). The EU funding will run from 2025 to 2028.
The GDHCN, originally developed from the European Union Digital COVID Certificate (EU DCC), enables countries to verify national health credentials securely across borders. However, only four African nations Benin, Cabo Verde, Seychelles and Togo currently participate.
ALSO READ: AI Revolution Threatens Millions Of Jobs In Data-Rich Industries Worldwide
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, remains notably absent. Health analysts say this raises ethical and developmental concerns about governance, preparedness, and public accountability in health system modernization.
“This is not just a digital gap; it’s a moral gap,” said Dr. Ekanem Okorie, a public health ethicist based in Lagos. “When a country like Nigeria fails to join a continental health platform, it risks excluding its citizens from the benefits of global health security.”
According to WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Mohamed Yakub Janabi, the agreement will “build trusted and interoperable digital systems to empower countries and people.” But he emphasized that participation is voluntary and requires government commitment.
Health experts argue that Nigeria’s non-participation may complicate international travel verification, vaccination tracking, and pandemic response. The GDHCN is designed to digitize the International Certificate of Vaccination (the Yellow Card), reducing fraud and improving border health security.
The EU’s Deputy Director-General for International Partnerships, Mr. Martin Seychell, said the initiative aligns with the EU-AU Health Partnership and supports the Global Gateway Strategy to strengthen Africa’s health infrastructure.
Analysts link Nigeria’s absence to weak digital policy implementation, bureaucratic inertia, and low investment in health innovation. “Nigeria cannot keep depending on manual records in a data-driven world,” said Abuja-based ICT expert, Dr. Ayo Olatunji. “The country risks being left behind in global disease surveillance and emergency response.”
Situational ethics experts describe the issue as a test of leadership integrity. They argue that neglecting health data integration, despite repeated outbreaks, contradicts the government’s duty to protect citizens’ lives through proactive governance.
The WHO report highlights that digital health transformation is no longer a luxury but a moral necessity for transparency, efficiency, and citizen trust. Failure to adopt such systems, they say, undermines public confidence and global cooperation in future pandemics.
“The network is built on privacy and data protection principles,” WHO reiterated, noting that countries maintain full control over their citizens’ records. No external party, including WHO, can access personal data.
Observers say Nigeria’s exclusion could have long-term implications for global mobility, vaccine verification, and health diplomacy. “If digital health becomes the new passport to safety, nations without it may be left outside the circle of global trust,” warned Dr. Okorie.
The agreement underscores a broader ethical divide between nations that invest in technological resilience and those that lag behind. As the world embraces digital health systems, Nigeria’s silence reflects not just administrative delay but a profound moral dilemma in public health leadership.