Global health partners to spend $2bn in Nigeria

The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate, Tuesday disclosed a plan by global health partners to commit almost $2bn in grant financing for the health of Nigerians for the next three years.

He disclosed this to State House reporters after a delegation from the Global Health Partners – the Global Fund, US President’s Malaria Initiative and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief visited Vice President Kashim Shettima.

 “This visit symbolises the confidence and alignment that our global partners have around the vision of our president and his desire to transform Nigeria’s health system to improve health and wellbeing of Nigerians.

“The three visitors have now committed almost $2bn in grant financing for health of Nigerians for the next three years. That’s a remarkable commitment which shows they are confident of the vision of our president and the approach he has now taken to deliver along with state governments and local governments. 

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“And all Nigerians, we need to join hands together so that we can move the health sector forward as a basis for transforming our population to be very productive and to achieve the prosperity that is certainly in our future.”

Pate said the meeting also discussed a programme to retrain 120, 000 frontline health workers in Nigeria from all the states over the next 12 to 18 months to boost primary healthcare system.

“We’re working with state governors and local governments. That is an important contribution to make Nigeria healthcare system to be more resilient to deliver on HIV, TB, and importantly on malaria because malaria affects our people. We know there is burden of malaria in our country” Pate said. 

During the meeting, Shettima said increasing domestic health financing, industrialization and improved health outcomes, would be topmost on the agenda of the Tinubu administration in the health sector.

The US Global AIDS Coordinator, John Nkengasong said the visit, which coincided with the commemoration of US Government’s 20 years of support to Nigeria’s fight against HIV AIDS through the PEPFAR initiative, had provided opportunity for the partners to appreciate the vision and direction of the Tinubu administration for the health sector.