An Interview with Dr. Rosemary Otalor, Head of Corporate Communications, African Medical Centre of Excellence, Abuja, By Adeleke Mark
At the recently held Akwaaba African Travel Market, I spoke with Dr. Rosemary Otalor, Head of Corporate Communications at the African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE), Abuja.
Our conversation explored AMCE’s specialist medical services, international partnerships, medical tourism, research and education, and its efforts to make advanced healthcare more accessible within Africa.
Dr. Otalor explained that AMCE is a 170-bed tertiary-level specialty hospital in Abuja, providing cardiovascular, oncology, haematology, general medical and surgical services, supported by advanced diagnostic capabilities.
Backed by Afreximbank, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and the Bank of Industry (BOI), the Centre is being developed in phases, with plans to expand to 500 beds.
A Pan-African Vision
AMCE is not intended to operate simply as a Nigerian healthcare facility. According to Dr. Otalor, the Abuja centre is the first of five African Medical Centres of Excellence planned across the continent.
AMCE’s strategic partnerships with King’s College Hospital, London, and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust provide access to world-class clinical expertise, advisory support, education and training, and international best practices, strengthening the Centre’s capacity to deliver high-quality specialist care in Africa.
The vision is to combine African investment and infrastructure with international clinical expertise to strengthen healthcare capacity on the continent.
Advanced Technology and Specialist Care
Dr. Otalor highlighted AMCE’s specialist expertise, international partnerships and advanced medical technology.
The Centre offers diagnostic capabilities including PET scanning, SPECT-CT, 3 Tesla MRI and 256-slice CT, alongside its cardiovascular, oncology, haematology, and general medical and surgical services.
It also has an 18 MeV cyclotron designed to support the production of radiopharmaceuticals for PET imaging and other nuclear medicine applications.
AMCE has recorded early clinical milestones including its first open-heart surgery, West Africa’s first stereotactic body radiation therapy for lung cancer, and stem cell transplants, alongside other complex cardiovascular and oncology procedures.
Building African Specialist Capacity
Dr. Otalor stressed that technology alone cannot transform healthcare; people are equally important.
AMCE has brought together healthcare professionals from Nigeria and other parts of Africa, alongside international expertise, to build the specialist capacity required to deliver complex care.
READ: Africa: AMCE Abuja, CEO Brian Deaver Says Investing in Healthcare Infrastructure Is Key to Ending Medical Tourism and Reversing Brain Drain in Nigeria
The Centre’s vision therefore includes strengthening specialist skills, creating professional development opportunities and building the human capacity needed to sustain advanced healthcare in Africa.
Medical Tourism and Abuja’s Healthcare Potential
AMCE also aims to attract patients from across Nigeria and other parts of Africa, particularly those seeking specialised and complex care that might otherwise require travelling outside the continent.
As the Centre develops its international patient services, there are opportunities for stronger connections with hospitality, aviation and travel.
This highlights the growing relationship between healthcare and the wider tourism ecosystem.
Research, Education and Innovation
Research, education and innovation also form important parts of AMCE’s long-term vision.
The Centre has undertaken specialised training programmes and is working to expand its education capabilities.
Dr. Otalor also discussed an initiative involving Afreximbank and King’s College London to explore the establishment of a medical and nursing school in Abuja, aimed at contributing to the development of healthcare professionals for Africa, subject to the relevant feasibility and development processes.
A Positive Experience at Akwaaba
Dr. Otalor described AMCE’s participation in the Akwaaba African Travel Market as positive, providing an opportunity to engage with stakeholders across the travel and tourism ecosystem and explore potential areas of collaboration.
For AMCE, the event also provided an opportunity to broaden the conversation around medical tourism and demonstrate how healthcare connects with sectors such as travel, aviation and hospitality.
Changing Africa’s Healthcare Story
My conversation with Dr. Otalor highlighted a vision that goes beyond establishing another hospital in Abuja.
With specialist services, international partnerships, advanced technology, a growing African clinical workforce, and a focus on research and education, AMCE is positioning itself within a broader effort to strengthen Africa’s capacity to provide advanced healthcare locally.
As AMCE continues to develop, its progress will be relevant not only to healthcare, but also to medical tourism, aviation, hospitality, travel and investment.
The broader message is one of building Africa’s capacity to provide sophisticated healthcare closer to home.
