Nigeria's richest woman Folorunsho Alakija donates $23 million hospital to university

Nigeria's richest woman, Folorunsho Alakija, has donated a $23 milliion, 250-bed medical research and training hospital to Osun State University in Nigeria's southwest region.

The facility, named the Modupe and Folorunsho Alakija Medical Research and Training Hospital, is expected to serve as the university’s main teaching hospital and a hub for specialist care, training and research.

Alakija, who serves as chancellor of the university, said during the official opening ceremony of the facility on Monday that the project grew from a vision to help modernize health care in Nigeria. She said consultations with international medical experts, architects and engineers shaped plans for a hospital that could curb medical tourism and strengthen training for doctors, nurses and other health professionals.

The complex includes 20 clinical departments and five non-clinical departments, a community health unit, maternity and neonatal services, research and diagnostic laboratories, and four operating theaters.

The equipment list includes CT and MRI machines, ultrasound and X-ray suites, radiotherapy facilities and multiple intensive care units, alongside specialist services such as ophthalmology and a modern mortuary.

Alakija, 74, is the richest woman in Nigeria with a fortune currently estimated at over $1 billion. She is the founder of Famfa, an oil exploration and production company that owns a 60% working interest in Agbami, Nigeria's deepwater Oil Mining Lease (OML) 127, the concession for the giant Agbami Field, a major deepwater oil discovery.