The Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire has announced a grant of $890 Million US Dollars over an implementation period of three years, 2021 to 2023 made by the Fund.
Dr. Osagie Ehanire disclosed this at a press briefing held at the Federal Ministry of Health, Tuesday, 21st July, 2020.
The Honourable Minister of Health said that with the latest grant, Nigeria has, as of date, accessed 94% of US$2,436,371,946, which is the total amount committed by The Global Fund’s to operations in Nigeria since inception in 2002.”
He explained that the Global Funds’s commitment to Nigeria was split into four program areas: (a) HIV/AIDS, (b) Tuberculosis, (c) Malaria, (d) Resilient Systems Strengthening for Health, (RSSH).”
The Honourable Minister gave the breakdown of the sum 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
Dr. Osagie Ehanire who is also the Chairman of the Global Fund Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) for Nigeria, further reeled out the key achievements of the Global Fund investments in Nigeria. He said “for the HIV/AIDS component, the Fund investment has contributed to placing 1.04 million people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) on treatment in Nigeria. With the support of the Fund, Nigeria has provided life-saving ARVs for 194,900 PLHIV on ART.”
In addition, the Minister stated that “the fund supported the 2018 NAIIS survey which provided precise data on the epidemic in Nigeria, confirming HIV prevalence of 1.3%.”
I.
On the TB programme, with the support of the fund, about 120,000 TB cases, he said are identified and treated annually since the inception, while TB services are provided in more than 12,000 health facilities. “We have provided 398 GeneXpert machines in 36 States and FCT.”
For malaria, he said “the Global Fund has contributed to a decline in malaria prevalence from 42% to 23% from 2010 – 2018. 11 Million Long Lasting Insecticide Treated mosquito nets” which he further added “are distributed annually through mass campaigns.” “At least 4 million confirmed malaria cases are treated annually at public health facilities in 13 states supported by the Global Fund”, he said.
The Minister added that “The Fund has also built 6 Pharma grade medical warehouses, supported procurement of 3 X-ray mobile vans for screening of tuberculosis in Lagos in addition to infrastructural upgrade of health facilities and laboratories and capacity-building for frontline health care workers under the Resilient Systems Strengthening for Health, (RSSH).
At the Global Fund’s fund-replenishment meetings held every three years, where it mobilizes contributions from Governments, private sector and philanthropists to support its public health programmes around the globe, Dr. Ehanire disclosed that Nigeria also contributes at these events and has so far contributed a cumulative sum of US$28.62 Million to the Global Fund since its inception, including USD$10 million pledged at the replenishment in Montreal, Canada, in September 2016.”
He added that at the last replenishment conference in Lyon, France, in October 2019, “Nigeria increased its contribution to The Global Fund by 20% with a pledge of US$12 Million for the period 2021-2023.”
The Honourable Minister of Health described the Global Fund as “an innovative international financing mechanism established by the United Nations in 2002, with its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland and that it is a global partnership of governments, civil society and private donors, established for the purpose of attracting, leveraging and investing resources to fund public health interventions to accelerate the eradication of HIV, tuberculosis and malaria in affected high burden countries, towards sustainable development goals” while the CCM – Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) Nigeria as “the official national establishment, through which The Global Fund relates with Fund recipient countries.”
He added that the Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Health, facilitated the establishment of Nigeria’s Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) in March, 2002, as “the recognized entity with the mandate to receive Global Fund grants on behalf of the country” assuring of a judicious application of the fund to which the UNAIDS Country Director who gave a goodwill message at the press briefing attested that Dr. Osagie Ehanire is a CCM Chair who could be trusted to apply the grant judiciously because “you do not give your money to someone who you did not trust.”
Signed:
Olujimi Oyetomi,
Director, Information, Media & Public Relations.
