CBM launches SightQuest Nigeria with €15m (N25bn) to cut avoidable blindness, expand cataract and refractive care across states by 2035

Christian Blind Mission (CBM) International has launched SightQuest Nigeria, a decade-long national eye health intervention backed by a financial commitment of 15 million euros (about ₦25 billion) to reduce avoidable blindness and visual impairment across the country.

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The programme, unveiled in Abuja on Thursday, is designed to strengthen disability-inclusive health systems, expand access to cataract surgery and refractive error services, and integrate primary eye care into Nigeria’s existing health framework.

CBM Chief Executive Officer, Dr Rainer Brockhans, described the initiative as a major milestone in the organisation’s 57-year partnership with Nigeria, tracing its presence in the country to 1968.

“Today, that partnership reaches an important milestone with the launch of SightQuest Nigeria, a 10-year initiative to reduce avoidable blindness and to address refractive errors.

These are two critical public health challenges affecting millions of Nigerians,” Brockhans said.

He explained that the programme builds on previous collaborations such as the Plateau State Eye Health project with Sightsavers and the AOLFEIN project targeting the elimination of Onchocerciasis and Lymphatic Filariasis.

“With SightQuest Nigeria, we are not simply starting another project; we are launching an integrated and comprehensive initiative to achieve lasting, long-term results,” he added.

According to Brockhans, the €15m commitment will complement CBM’s ongoing work in community-based inclusive development and humanitarian action, while additional fundraising efforts are ongoing to attract more donors, including Nigerian supporters.

Representing the President of the Senate, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Dr Ipalibo Harry Banigo, said the National Assembly viewed health investment as central to national development and inclusion.

“A ten-year mission reflects patience, seriousness, and faith in institutional progress, qualities development requires,” Banigo said, describing avoidable blindness as both a public health and moral challenge.

Minister of State for Health, Dr Iziaq Salako, highlighted the economic implications of vision loss.

“Visual impairment lowers productivity and national growth. It costs the global economy $401bn annually. The Federal Government of Nigeria is committed to preventing avoidable vision loss,” Salako said.

In his welcome address, CBM Nigeria Country Director, Omoi Ozovehe Samuel, described the initiative as transformative.

“SightQuest is more than a programme; it is a vision of hope. It is about restoring sight, dignity, and opportunity to millions,” he said.

A statement issued at the event said the programme will run from 2026 to 2035, initially covering Bauchi, Imo, Jigawa, Plateau, and Oyo states, with plans to expand to nine additional states.

By 2035, SightQuest aims to achieve a 30-percentage-point increase in effective cataract surgical coverage in 10 states, with half expected to reach the target by 2030. The programme will also deploy targeted strategies to expand access to refractive error services.

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CBM noted that the initiative forms part of its Inclusive Health Initiative focused on strengthening district-level health systems, improving secondary eye care, and reinforcing referral networks within the public sector.