Global fund targets $660m investment in Nigeria to tackle disease epidemics

The Global Fund, an International financing organisation has announced it targets in the next three years to invest $660million in order to tackle the end of Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), Tuberculosis and Malaria epidemic in Nigeria.

The announcement was made on Wednesday 25th September at the press conference hosted by Federal Ministry of Health and National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) as they welcome Peter Sands who is on his first official visit to Nigeria in his new role as Executive Director at Global Fund.

“Nigeria has remained a country in which Global Fund had invested tremendously in the past because of its highest burden of Malaria, Tuberculosis, HIV and AIDS,” said Peter Sands, executive director, Global Fund.

According to Sands said, Nigeria has the world’s fourth-largest Tuberculosis burden. In general, there has been less progress on tuberculosis than HIV and malaria. We must do more.

“We have invested about 2.6 billion dollars to tackle these epidemics in the past, in the next three years; Global Fund will invest $660million in Nigeria to accelerate the end of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as epidemics.”

“We also want to reduce malaria related deaths and also ensure that the percentage of people on tuberculosis treatment increases”.

“Ultimately, the best way to run a health system, is to depend on domestic resources and not donor funds,” Sands said.

Sani Aliyu, director general of NACA, Nigeria, appreciated the continuous support of Global Fund in the healthcare sector of the country.

According to him, Nigeria is one of the biggest Global Fund investments, since its launch in 2002; Global Fund has invested over $2billion in Nigeria.

Aliyu, added that as at 2017, Global Fund has put over 1million Nigerians living with HIV/AIDS on antiretroviral therapy and treated over 100,000 Tuberculosis patients in Nigeria.

“Presently and with the support of grants as this, we have about 1.1 million people on treatment,” he said.

ANTHONIA OBOKOH