LCCI wants deep-pocket investment in health sector

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has called for more private sector participation and funding for the health sector as government and international donor agencies alone may not be able to finance the budget estimate for malaria across the globe.

This call was made on Tuesday during an interactive workshop with the winners of the 2017 NLNG prize for science organised by LCCI in partnership with the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) with the theme, ‘Innovations in Malaria Control.’

“In 2016, there were 216 million cases of malaria in 91 countries, five million more than the 211 million cases reported in 2015. Malaria deaths in Africa accounted for 407,000 cases out of the global number of 445,000 in 2016, according to WHO statistics,” said Babatunde Ruwase, president, LCCI.

“With $2.7 billion invested globally to fight malaria in 2016, this represents less than half (41 percent) of the estimated $6.5billion needed annually till 2020 in order to reach the 2030 global malaria targets. This calls for special attention on Africa. African leaders must show commitment to fight malaria. We need innovative ways and means in enhancing our capabilities in ‘beating malaria.”

Ruwase said reports from the World Health Organisation (WHO) highlighted some population groups that are at considerable higher risk of contracting malaria to include, pregnant women, infants, children under five years, patients with HIV/AIDS and mobile population adding that Nigeria needs national strategies and programmes to take special measures in protecting these population groups from malaria infection.

“The Global Technical Strategy for malaria for 2016 to 2030, adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2015, provides a comprehensive framework to guide countries in their efforts to accelerate progress towards malaria elimination,” he said.

“I challenge us to give our support in every way possible to foster a better stakeholder engagement towards getting more funding for the fight against malaria in Nigeria,’’ he added.

Nike Akande, past president, LCCI and member, advisory board of the Nigeria Prize for Science, said she is confident that the partnership between Nigeria LNG Limited and the LCCI would endure and become an inspiration to Nigeria of what can be produced when resources are pooled together for the common good.

She advised other organisations to take a cue from Nigeria LNG and contribute their own quota to the scientific and technological resolution of the many problems that confront Nigerians as a nation.

Akpoveta Susu, chairman, advisory board of the Nigeria Prize for Science, said the board has placed great scientific innovations on the front burner in the country, prompting other remarkable research works apart from malaria research.

‘‘The increased number of entries for 2017 clearly indicates that Nigerian scientists have heeded the wakeup call to demonstrate their ingenuity in more functional works. This is more so in the face of growing competition as entries for the $100,000 prize is now open to scientists and researchers around the world, to help find solutions to Nigeria’s problems,” Susu said.

CHINWE AGBEZE