The Federal Government has announced receipt of grants worth $890m from the Global Fund to combat the menace of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria.
The grant, which is the single largest allocation to any country, spans a three-year implementation period of 2021 to 2023.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, made these known in Abuja.
According to him: “With this amount, Nigeria’s grant is reportedly the single highest allocation to any country and a demonstration of The Global Fund’s confidence in the administration and programmes of President Muhammadu Buhari, and in his pledge to make the most judicious use of the resources for the improvement of health outcomes for Nigerians, especially the poor and vulnerable.
“This grant will complement the investment of the Government of Nigeria and of other Development Partners in HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria programmes, including the Resilient and Sustainable System for Health, over the period 2021-2023.”
Ehanire added: “The approval of this grant came following the review of the proposal that CCM Nigeria submitted on 23rd March 2020, which was adjudged to be technically sound and strategically focused by the independent Technical Review Panel of the Global Fund.
“The Global Fund raises and invests nearly US$4 billion a year to support programs in countries and communities that are most in need.
“Of that amount, Nigeria has, as of date accessed US$2,436,371,946, representing 94 percent of the committed amount. A breakdown of the funds disbursed to Nigeria so far is as follows: HIV/AIDS – 874,801,962; Tuberculosis – 338,655,681; Malaria – 1,168,613,356; RSSH – 44,178,974; TB/HIV – 10,421,972.”
The Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is an innovative international financing mechanism established by the United Nations in 2002, with its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.