AMCE Abuja, Model for Specialist Healthcare Expansion in Africa, Says Mgt

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The African Medical Centre of Excellence, AMCE, Abuja, has emerged as a real-world example of how blended finance can be deployed to build specialist healthcare infrastructure and expand access to complex care in Africa.

The Centre said that a new case study by the Impact Investment Initiative for Global Health, Triple I for GH, has examined how the model worked in practice, showing how long-term development finance, commercial capital and specialist clinical partnerships were combined to establish the 170-bed quaternary hospital.

The Centre, developed by the African Export-Import Bank, Afreximbank, in collaboration with King’s College Hospital, London, combines specialist clinical care with advanced infrastructure, workforce development, research and medical education.

A statement by Senior Client Manager at AMCE, Faith Shaib, the Centre said since commencing operations, it has delivered a growing range of complex procedures that were previously accessed abroad. 

“These include AMCE’s first open-heart surgery, West Africa’s first Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy, SBRT, for lung cancer, and its first stem cell transplant for a patient with multiple myeloma.

“The hospital has also carried out more than 10 cardiac interventions, including coronary angiographies, permanent pacemaker insertions and percutaneous coronary interventions,” she said.

The case study highlights the urgency of such investments. African patients are estimated to spend between US$6 billion and US$10 billion annually on medical treatment outside the continent, reflecting both strong demand for specialist care and gaps in locally available tertiary services.

AMCE Abuja was developed to help bridge this gap by building advanced tertiary capacity within Africa, enabling more patients to access complex treatment closer to their families and support networks.

Over its first five years, the Centre aims to provide specialist care to more than 200,000 patients in Nigeria and a further 150,000 patients from other African countries.

On financing, the hospital said the case study provided new detail on the structure that supported AMCE’s development.

According to case study, Afreximbank’s financing was backed by long-term debt from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA, in partnership with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, MUFG, and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, SMBC.

The report showed that the Japanese financing supported the project during its development phase and helped de-risk the investment for subsequent financiers.

Following commissioning and commencement of operations, Nigerian commercial banks entered the structure, providing working-capital facilities as the Centre transitioned to full operations.

AMCE Abuja is intended to serve as a pilot and proof of concept for future AMCE facilities across Africa, with Afreximbank exploring expansion of the model into East and Central Africa.