Nigeria Performs West Africa’s First Telerobotic Surgery on Patient 500km Away

A surgeon at a console nearly 500 kilometres from his patient controlled a robotic arm that removed a cancerous kidney, an operation three Nigerian institutions are calling the first tele-robotic surgery performed in West Africa.

Tele-robotic surgery, also called remote surgery, lets a surgeon operate on a patient in a different location by controlling a robotic arm over the internet instead of standing beside the patient.

The procedure was carried out on 19 September 2026 by Redeemer's Health Village (RHV), a private hospital in Mowe, Ogun State, run in partnership with the Redeemed Christian Church of God, working alongside RoboMed Global, a U.S.-based robotic surgery company, and Nisa Premier Hospital, a private hospital in Abuja that has run a robotic surgery centre since November 2025.

Professor Obi Ekwenna-Davis, a professor of urology and transplantation and co-founder of RoboMed Global, controlled the operation from RHV's facility while the patient remained at Nisa Premier Hospital in Abuja.

He guided a Toumai robotic surgical system, a machine that lets a doctor operate surgical instruments remotely through a console rather than holding them by hand, to carry out a right radical nephrectomy, removing a kidney affected by a cancerous growth.

The procedure lasted about three hours, with brief pauses to check that the equipment and internet connection were working properly, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

"Distance should never decide who receives safe surgery; this is what safe and trusted surgery looks like," Ekwenna-Davis said afterward, adding that the patient was in good condition and expected to be discharged within 24 hours.

RHV's chief executive, Dr Adedamola Dada, called it a demonstration "that Nigerians can access modern healthcare without travelling abroad."

He said the hospital was built to provide affordable, world-class care rather than to turn a profit, and framed the project as part of the Redeemed Christian Church of God's broader vision.

Dada said the initiative already has the backing of Nigeria's Minister of Health, and he called on government to fund scholarships for surgeons, nurses and biomedical engineers seeking to train in robotic surgery.

Dr Ibrahim Wada, chief executive officer and founder of Nisa Premier Hospital, said his Abuja facility has run as a robotic surgery centre in West Africa since November 2025.

"Today, our patient received specialist surgical expertise from across the country without leaving Abuja.

This is what becomes possible when Nigerian institutions decide to build together," Wada said.

The operation depended on a harder technical requirement: remote robotic surgery only works if the connection between the surgeon's console and the robot stays fast and stable, since any lag between a surgeon's hand movement and the robot's response becomes a safety risk while it is cutting inside a patient's body.

Technext reported that this operation ran on Starlink, the satellite internet service, with the mobile network MTN kept on standby as a backup.

The achievement lands against the backdrop of Nigeria's doctor shortage.

The Nigerian Medical Association has reported that more than 130,000 doctors are registered with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, the body that licenses doctors to practise in the country, while only around 55,000 are currently practising.

RHV says it wants to help close that gap directly: the hospital is setting up a robotic academy with RoboMed Global, aiming to train at least 150 surgeons within two years, alongside nurses and biomedical engineers.