In a landmark move to bolster public health, Nigeria and the United States have inked a $5 billion pact focused on disease control and building a more resilient healthcare system”.
The agreement, formalized through a technical Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), will run from April 2026 to December 2030. Under the pact, the United States will provide nearly $2 billion in grant funding, while Nigeria has committed to allocate at least six percent of executed annual federal and state budgets to health, expected to mobilize close to $3 billion over the five-year period.
The funding framework has already been incorporated into Nigeria’s proposed 2026 Appropriation Bill, signaling the government’s intent to embed the partnership within domestic fiscal planning, according to the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate.
The pact is structured around seven core areas – surveillance and outbreak response, laboratory systems, health commodities, frontline healthcare workers, data systems, strategic investment, and technical assistance.
The MoU aims to enhance cooperation in the early detection, prevention, and management of emerging, re-emerging, and existing infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. It also covers strengthening disease surveillance systems, improving safety procedures for pathogen sample handling, supporting primary healthcare services, and providing technical assistance across the health sector.
A central component of the agreement is its alignment with Nigeria’s long-term goal of health sector self-reliance. While U.S. grants will provide initial support, Nigeria plans to progressively increase its health spending, with external funding expected to decrease by 2030.
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