49% Nigerian Households Manage Chronic Health Conditions, Longevity— Report

A public strategy and media group, Gatefield, has revealed in its new Longevity Factors Report a severe health crisis in Nigeria, where nearly half of households (49%) manage long-term health conditions, and 1 in 8 young adults aged 18 to 35 live with a chronic illness.

The pilot survey of 1,070 adults in Lagos, Kano, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) examines the environmental, economic, and systemic drivers of premature mortality nationwide.

The survey explored daily trade-offs, chronic conditions, catastrophic medical debt, environmental threats like extreme heat and air pollution, and where people seek care first, with this release highlighting initial findings.

Lead Strategist at Gatefied,

Adewunmi Emoruwa unveiled the report at the opening of the Gatefied Health Summit 2026 in Abuja on Wednesday

Convening global health leaders, the summit served as the backdrop for Emoruwa’s call for an immediate shift in Africa’s healthcare strategy, urging governments to adopt food systems as core public health infrastructure.

Alongside global health funders, policymakers, and civil society leaders, he called for an immediate shift in Africa’s healthcare strategy from an endless search for innovations to what works.

Speaking on the drivers of premature mortality in Africa, the Gatefied Lead Strategist told reporters that: “A sick body is only half the tragedy. When you reach out for help, you realise the barrier isn’t just medical. It is systemic. Politics is cutting our lives short.

“Three out of every four people have experienced or witnessed corruption when using public services. The system is actively pushing people away. Because of this friction, 1 in 3 people completely missed a public health service they needed in the past year: a missed vaccine, a skipped screening, or a forgotten medication.”

The study findings also showed that 52% of respondents faced financial strain or went without treatment because of healthcare costs; to afford care, 27% borrowed money, 25% relied on family support, 14% cut back on food and necessities, while 13% sold personal assets.

The survey found that families managing chronic illnesses are significantly more likely to be let down by public services, as 1 in 3 (33%) missed out on a needed public health service – such as a vaccine, screening, or essential medication – in the past year, while 3 in 4 adults (75%) experienced or witnessed corruption when accessing public services during the same period.

It further established that

Environmental hazards such as extreme heat (69.7%) and air pollution (54.0%) pose a far greater risk to people living with long-term conditions.

The research revealed that for those managing asthma, hypertension, or cardiovascular disease, daily exposure to heat and bad air drastically increases the chance of severe complications and hospitalisation.

In a keynote address at the summit, Special Adviser to the President on Health, Dr Salma Ibrahim Anas, stressed the urgent need to reform healthcare delivery, emphasising that national health systems must be anchored in sustainable domestic financing and decisive legislative backing.

“There are health interventions that have been invented that are truly effective. It is counterproductive when these solutions don’t reach the people they are supposed to start with. These discussions cut across all stakeholders.

“The government remains committed to scaling existing solutions and partnering with development partners to improve Nigeria’s healthcare system,” Anas said.

Experts at the summit including WIPO Global Health Lead, Siddhartha Prakash, examined strategic approaches to scaling global health solutions and accelerating health innovations across the continent.

“Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used in healthcare. However, many existing AI systems rely on foreign training models that may not adequately reflect the realities, populations and healthcare needs of Nigeria and other African countries.

Homegrown AI technologies can help address this gap by developing solutions that are better suited to local health challenges. This is why the conversations happening at the Gatefield Health Summit are timely and relevant,” Prakash said.

Reinforcing the summit’s core focus on bridging the divide between food and health policy, stakeholders agreed that African healthcare systems must explore food as a means of preventing disease, rather than focusing solely on interventions that treat symptoms.

They positioned food as vital preventive health infrastructure, urging policymakers to treat nutrition and primary care as inseparable pillars of longevity.

Speakers emphasised the role of resilient food systems in determining quality of life and long-term health outcomes.

Editor at Wearegst, Kofoworola Odozi, said: “We must use media to hold the companies that put the lives of Nigerians at risk the same way they use media to promote and sell their goods.”