By Eniola Phillips
The Federal Government, on Monday, unveiled a strategic plan to boost domestic health financing and significantly reduce Nigeria’s dependence on international donors. The new initiative, announced at a generative workshop in Abuja, aims to transition Nigeria towards self-reliance in funding essential health services.
Speaking at the “HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Generative Workshop,” the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Ali Pate, warned that a continued reliance on foreign aid was unsustainable. “When we look at external finances, we are completely dependent on the support of OECD governments and others. To think that we can build a healthy nation and population using other people’s money is illogical,” he stated.
Pate emphasized the need for Nigeria to take full responsibility for its health needs. He disclosed that the government plans to increase budget allocations for the health sector at both the federal and state levels and ensure timely release of funds. The minister also stated that the government would work to retain health workers previously paid by donors and expand local manufacturing of medicines and health commodities to strengthen the country’s capacity.
The workshop, which was a collaborative effort to design a pathway to self-reliance, also had in attendance the Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Dr. Temitope Ilori. She stressed that Nigeria must take ownership of its health response for HIV, TB, malaria, and maternal and child health by mobilizing domestic resources and ensuring uninterrupted service delivery.
