FG, Global Tech Giants Launch Bold Eye-Care Revolution For 23 Million Nigerians

According to Ireporter Online, the Federal Government has taken a decisive step toward combating preventable blindness by signing a national eye-care Memorandum of Understanding with Peek Vision, a global leader in digital eye-health solutions. The agreement, formalised in Abuja on Tuesday, seeks to overhaul how millions of Nigerians living with vision impairments are identified, monitored, and linked to treatment, particularly in underserved and hard-to-reach areas.

Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Adekunle Salako, who signed the pact on behalf of the government, said the partnership would significantly improve the country’s ability to deliver eye-care services at the community level. He recalled Nigeria’s history of innovative interventions, including the notable JigiBola initiative of the early 1990s, and said the new digital platform expands on that legacy by equipping frontline health workers with tools to identify and refer patients more efficiently.

The Ministry expressed concern that fear and misinformation still prevent many Nigerians from seeking help early, but noted that the collaboration with Peek Vision is expected to strengthen communication, screening, and referral systems nationwide. Dr. Salako added that the initiative aligns with the government’s Renewable Health Connect programme, which emphasises school-based screenings, cataract services, and access to corrective lenses.

Peek Vision’s Founder and CEO, Prof. Andrew Bastawrous, stated that the project was motivated by the urgent need to reach millions of Nigerians who live with avoidable vision loss. He explained that many affected individuals, especially those in rural and low-income communities, are unaware their conditions are treatable or cannot access existing services. The partnership, he said, brings the Ministry together with major international organisations, including Sightsavers, CBM, and Hands, to deliver screenings using smartphones and tablets directly in homes, schools, and workplaces, bypassing the limitations of traditional health facilities.

Bastawrous noted that Peek Vision has built a data-driven platform capable of tracking every screened individual, following referrals, and highlighting the reasons patients miss appointments. He cited success stories in Kenya, where misconceptions and cost barriers were addressed through targeted actions informed by data insights. He affirmed that the Nigerian rollout begins immediately, with no financial burden on the Federal Government, while the Ministry will retain full ownership of all generated data.

He disclosed that a new programme supported by Sightsavers has already begun screening 5,000 people and aims to reach 1.2 million schoolchildren within two years. Bastawrous emphasised that vision improvements have broader societal benefits, noting that something as simple as a pair of magnifying lenses can increase learning outcomes by up to 50 percent but remains inaccessible to many. He stressed that cataracts, the leading cause of blindness, are entirely treatable, yet countless Nigerians may never receive care unless systems are transformed.

Peek Vision and its partners have so far screened 17 million people globally and connected over 1.5 million to sight-restoring treatment. Bastawrous said the new agreement marks the beginning of a transformative journey to change the narrative for millions living with preventable vision loss in Nigeria.