The Federal Government has approved Redeemer’s Health Village Robotic Surgery Academy as a Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Centre of Excellence, guaranteeing full tuition scholarships for qualified medical professionals enrolled in its specialist training programmes.
The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, announced the decision at the academy’s inauguration on Thursday, saying TETFund would cover tuition fees through its local scholarship scheme.
The designation makes the academy Nigeria’s 29th TETFund Centre of Excellence and is aimed at expanding access to advanced surgical training locally, reducing dependence on foreign medical education and supporting efforts to tackle medical brain drain.
The academy was established through a partnership involving Redeemer’s Health Village (RHV), RoboMed Global, the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria and Redeemer’s University. It is designed to train professionals in robotic surgery and telesurgical operations.
Alausa said the government had invested more than ₦250bn in medical education over the past two years as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s healthcare workforce and reduce medical tourism.
He noted that the number of students admitted into medical programmes had remained largely unchanged over the years despite population growth, adding that the government planned to increase annual medical programme enrolments to 20,000 within two years.
The TETFund sponsorship is expected to help qualified professionals acquire specialised surgical skills without tuition costs becoming a barrier.
The academy has launched with dual robotic surgical systems valued at $4m to support clinical services and advanced training.
Its Chief Executive Officer, Adedamola Dada, said the institution planned to produce 400 certified specialists within two years, focusing on urology, general surgery and gynaecology.
Beyond surgeons, the academy will train other professionals required to operate and maintain robotic surgical systems, including operating theatre personnel, biomedical engineers and hospital administrators.
RoboMed Global co-founder, Dr Obi Ekwenna, said the programme would adopt a training model inspired by aviation safety standards, emphasising communication, simulation and strict team coordination.
“The essence of the academy is to train the entire ecosystem, not just surgeons alone,” Ekwenna said.
He explained that trainees would be assessed through advanced simulation, supervised clinical practice and structured patient care.
The National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria will oversee academic standards and award postgraduate fellowship diplomas to successful candidates. Redeemer’s University will lead specialised training for nursing teams and biomedical maintenance engineers.
The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof Shadrach Akindele, and the president of the postgraduate medical college, Prof Anthony Ikefuna, described the initiative as a major development for medical training in Nigeria.
The academy follows RHV’s reported completion of Nigeria’s first robotic and telesurgical procedures in September, positioning the facility to support the growth of technology-driven healthcare in West Africa.
Redeemer’s Health Village is a faith-based tertiary medical facility established by the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
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