USAID announces more funds to boost Nigeria’s healthcare, Good Governance

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced additional $26m development assistance to support good governance and heath in Nigeria.

The US Embassy said this in a statement made available to newsmen today, Friday August 24, in Abuja.

The mission stated that the additional new funding brought the total U.S. government assistance provided under the five-year Development Objectives agreement to $1.1bn.

The statement added that the additional fund was to help in achieving the development goals outlined in the bilateral Development Objectives Assistance Agreement between the U.S. and Nigerian governments signed in 2015.

“Of the new funding, 25 million dollars will strengthen good governance by supporting state governments’ efforts to bolster Nigeria’s Open Government Partnership commitments to improve transparency and fight corruption.

“An additional 1.5 million dollars will support a healthier, more educated population in targeted states through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), for a total of 26.5 million dollars in additional assistance,” it stated.

The Embassy explained that USAID was also partnering with federal and state health ministries to build stronger health systems with the aim of guaranteeing equitable access to quality healthcare services nationwide.

“The U.S believes that as the most populous country in Africa, with the largest economy on the continent, Nigeria holds tremendous influence over the future of Africa.

“USAID is committed to partnering with the government and the people of Nigeria to address its development challenges,” it quoted Acting Mission Director, Erin Holleran, as saying. It explained that USAID collaborated with Nigeria’s ministries of Budget and National Planning, Health, Agriculture, Power, and Education, as well as state-level government counterparts to structure the bilateral assistance agreement, which runs through 2020.