The African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE), Abuja, is emerging as a case study in how blended finance can be deployed to develop specialist healthcare infrastructure and expand access to complex medical care in Africa.
A new case study by the Impact Investment Initiative for Global Health (Triple I for GH) examines the financing structure behind the 170-bed specialist hospital, which combines long-term development finance, commercial capital and international clinical partnerships.
Developed by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in collaboration with King’s College Hospital London, AMCE Abuja was established to strengthen advanced tertiary healthcare capacity in Nigeria and reduce the need for patients to travel outside Africa for complex treatment.
Since commencing operations, the Centre has recorded a number of clinical milestones, including its first open-heart surgery, West Africa’s first Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) treatment for lung cancer and its first stem cell transplant for a patient with multiple myeloma.
The Centre has also performed more than 10 cardiac interventions, including coronary angiographies, permanent pacemaker insertions and percutaneous coronary interventions.
The case study highlights the financing structure that supported the development of AMCE Abuja, including Afreximbank financing 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 Japanese financing supported the project during its development phase and helped reduce risk for subsequent investment, while Nigerian commercial banks provided working-capital facilities after commissioning as the Centre transitioned into full operations.
The financing model comes against the backdrop of significant outbound medical spending by African patients. The case study estimates that Africans spend between $6 billion and $10 billion annually on medical treatment outside the continent, reflecting gaps in specialist and tertiary healthcare capacity.
AMCE Abuja is designed to address part of this gap by providing advanced medical services closer to patients’ homes, 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 an additional 150,000 patients from other African countries, bringing its overall target to 350,000 patients.
The facility has five operating theatres, three catheterisation laboratories, a 20-bed intensive care unit, 20 chemotherapy chairs and a dedicated stem cell laboratory.
It employs about 300 healthcare professionals, including approximately 250 Nigerians, while more than 2,000 Nigerians were employed during the construction phase.
Beyond healthcare delivery, the AMCE model incorporates workforce development, research and medical education, with the partnership with King’s College Hospital London providing an international clinical dimension.
Afreximbank intends to use the Abuja project as a pilot and proof of concept for potential AMCE facilities in other parts of Africa, with opportunities being explored in East and Central Africa.
The experience from Abuja is expected to inform the financing, development of clinical partnerships, recruitment of specialist talent and operationalisation of future specialist healthcare facilities across the continent.
The AMCE case study therefore provides insight into how development finance, commercial funding and international healthcare partnerships can be combined to create specialist medical infrastructure and strengthen Africa’s healthcare capacity.
