FG launches $890m health grant

President Muhammadu Buhari has launched the $890m Global Fund to support Nigeria’s fight against HIV-AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria from 2021 to 2023.

Launching the Fund virtually at the State House in Abuja, the president said it would support the establishment of resilient and sustainable systems for health in the country.

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He requested periodic performance reports from the Ministry of Health on the utilisation of the Fund.

He ordered the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, to ensure effective utilisation of Global Fund’s generous provision of $890 million over the next three years.

“Let me also emphasize here that this administration has zero tolerance for corruption and inefficient use of resources.”

The president, who assured donor agencies and development partners of judicious use of the grant, said the funding would complement investments in the health sector, help curb new infections and reduce HIV-AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria-related morbidity and mortality.

“It is my wish that in the next three years, these three diseases are taken much further down the path of elimination,” he said.

He also lauded the Global Fund for their contribution of the sum of $51m during the early stages of Nigeria’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, to procure personal protective equipment, test kits and scale up diagnostic capacity.

Buhari, while commenting on Nigeria’s contribution to the Fund, announced that he approved $12m to the last Global Fund Replenishment held in Lyon, France, representing a 20 per cent increase on the country’s immediate previous contribution.

Ehanire, while speaking in his capacity as the chairman of the Country Coordinating Mechanism of the Global Fund programmes in Nigeria, said Nigeria recently signed eight grants amounting to $890 million to support HIV, TB and malaria programmes and build resilient and sustainable systems for health.

In her goodwill message, Kathleen FitzGibbon, Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S Embassy in Nigeria, described Nigeria’s recent contribution to the Global Fund as an important commitment to end all three diseases and to ensure a healthy and prosperous country.

Speaking virtually from Geneva, Peter Sands, Executive Director, Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria, said in addition to the $890m grant, the Global Fund had disbursed $2.6bn to support HIV, TB and malaria and strengthening of RSSH since 2003.