The Federal Government has advanced plans to establish the Armed Forces College of Medicine & Health Sciences (AFCOM&HS) as part of efforts to strengthen military healthcare services and expand Nigeria’s overall medical training capacity.
The decision was progressed at a high-level meeting convened by the Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, alongside the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmed, with the Minister of Defence, Christopher Gwabin Musa, the Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Mohammed Matawalle, and other key stakeholders across the education, defence and health sectors.
According to the government, the proposed college is designed as a strategic national intervention to address critical manpower shortages within the Armed Forces and to build a sustainable pipeline of combat casualty-trained doctors, surgeons, trauma specialists, emergency response medics, military public health professionals, and allied health experts.
Speaking at the meeting, Alausa noted that although Nigeria’s population exceeds 240 million, only 189 medical professionals currently serve within the Defence Forces. He also highlighted the country’s broader shortfall of about 340,000 doctors, underscoring the urgent need for scalable and innovative training models.
As part of ongoing reforms in the education sector, the Federal Ministry of Education has increased annual medical school admissions from about 5,000 to nearly 10,000, with projections to raise the figure to approximately 19,000 in the coming years. The new college is expected to play a central role in achieving this expansion target.
In line with the Federal Government’s seven-year moratorium on new tertiary institutions and directives of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the college will be established within the existing framework of the Nigerian Defence Academy rather than as a standalone institution.
The institution will be linked to accredited federal and military hospitals to ensure robust clinical training. Designated military medical facilities will serve as clinical training centres structured to accommodate large student cohorts while maintaining quality and accreditation standards.
Medical cadets will gain admission through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and, upon completion of their studies, will be commissioned as Captains in the Armed Forces, equipped with both medical expertise and military leadership training.
To ensure regulatory compliance and quality assurance, a Technical Working Group has been constituted. The group includes representatives from the Federal Ministry of Education, Ministry of Defence, Nigerian Defence Academy, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, the National Universities Commission, JAMB, the Committee of Provosts of Medical Schools, and the Armed Forces.
Admissions into the college are projected to commence by October or November 2026.
The Federal Government described the initiative as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s health security, defence personnel welfare, and medical workforce development, noting that it would also position the country as a regional hub for military medical training in West Africa.
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