USAID Announces $26.5m Additional Assistance To Nigeria

A USAID-supported nurse sets an IV line for a patient at the Dikwa General Hospital, Borno State.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced additional support for Nigeria in achieving the development goals outlined in the bilateral Development Objectives Assistance Agreement signed in 2015, between the U.S. and Nigerian governments.

 In a statement on Friday, the Acting Mission Director, Erin Holleran, said a new funding of $26.5 million will be given to support health care and good governance in the country.  

Holleran also said that the USAID will partner with federal and state health ministries to build stronger health systems with the aim of guaranteeing equitable access to quality healthcare services nationwide. 

 The statement said, “$25 million 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 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 in additional assistance”. 

The additional new funding brings the total U.S. government assistance provided under the five-year Development Objectives agreement to $1.1 billion. According to Holleran, the USAID is committed to assisting Nigeria because of the huge influence the nation has on the future of Africa. 

“The United States 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,” Holleran said. 

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.