The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced strategic plans to establish world-class Medical Simulation Centres across the country’s six geopolitical zones as part of an ambitious push to raise annual medical school admissions to 20,000 over the next three years.
​The plan was disclosed in an official statement released on Sunday, August 30, 2026, in Abuja by Ikharo Attah, the Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Education.
The announcement followed a formal ceremony where the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, received the final report from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) Medical Simulation Committee.
​Speaking at the event in Abuja, Dr. Alausa highlighted that the simulation centres are critical to bridging the gap between theoretical classroom learning and practical clinical experience for healthcare professionals.
The initiative targets students in medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, and allied health professions. The minister pointed out that student enrolment in medical sciences has expanded significantly under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Annual intake has grown from approximately 5,000 when the administration assumed office to nearly 12,000 students. The new target aims for 20,000 admissions annually within three years.
Admissions have surged nationwide from 38,000 three years ago to over 120,000 students in the Nursing school enrolment. Pharmacy and Dentistry admissions across both disciplines have effectively doubled.
​”Our goal in the next three years is to increase the number of annual medical student enrollment in medical school to about 20,000,” Dr. Alausa stated.
This expansion in student numbers must be matched by corresponding investments in the quality of training. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to providing the highest quality education to every Nigerian child”.
​The minister commended the Chairman of the TETFund Medical Simulation Committee, Dr. Wale Suleiman, along with committee members and TETFund leadership, for delivering a actionable blueprint.
​The state-of-the-art simulation facilities will be funded through TETFund intervention frameworks and equipped with modern virtual patient technologies, clinical scenario models, and high-fidelity trainers.
The initiative aims to enhance practical skills prior to clinical rotations while addressing human capital shortages across Nigeria’s public health sector.
