Nigeria: Government and Global Fund Sign $ 71 Million TB Agreement

The federal government has signed an agreement with the Global Fund for financial support of $ 71,216,215 to intensify efforts to combat the tuberculosis epidemic in Nigeria for the period 2019-2020.

Dr. Osagie Ehanire, Minister of State for Health, said at a meeting in Abuja: "As you know, TB is now the ninth leading cause of death in the world and the leading cause of death. deaths attributable to a single infectious agent., ranked above HIV / AIDS (WHO World Tuberculosis Report 2018). "

He further stated that "tuberculosis has turned many children into orphans, robbed many of them, which has had serious consequences for the families' economy and the country's economy. trend should not continue. "

The minister said that over the years, the NTBLCP, with the support of several partners such as the WHO and the Global Fund, had made tremendous progress in the fight against tuberculosis in the world. areas of policy development, capacity building, service development and the provision of quality care. meet the needs of vulnerable groups and key populations.

He also pointed out that GF had committed a total of US $ 245,997,701 to the tuberculosis control response in Nigeria since the beginning of its support for TB in 2005.

Dr. Ehanire stressed that "thanks to this investment and in collaboration with other partners, the country has treated more than one million Nigerians with drug-resistant TB for quality treatment". The minister promised that the federal government would commit to allocate a sufficient budget to the tuberculosis control program to meet the objectives set in the grant and the national strategic plan for tuberculosis control.

"We will also work with the different levels of government, our partners and the private sector to mobilize additional national resources to fill the current funding gap in TB control," he said.

In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), Abdullaziz Abdullahi, said that the federal government was pleased to be the main beneficiary of the grant. He is also badured of strict compliance with procedures and transparency in the management of funds.