The federal government of Nigeria is making effort to raise up to N40 billion (USD 25 million) funding from the private sector to meet the funding target towards ending tuberculosis in the country by 2030.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate, who made the disclosure this in Lagos during the weekend, said the federal government would match the financial commitment made by the private sector towards the goal.
Speaking at the launch of the Private Sector Strategy to End Tuberculosis in Nigeria organized by the Stop TB Nigeria Partnership, the health minister gave a call to action on the need for the private sector involvement in ending TB in Nigeria.
He added that the aim was to really energize and bring the public sector with the private sector to work together to end the scourge of tuberculosis.
His statement: “What we’ve offered to the private sector and captains of industry, to the millionaires and billionaires that are Nigerians, is that if they step up to $25 million (N40 billion), we would work to match them between what the federal government and development partners would put in, in terms of domestic resources and also mobilizing other philanthropic sources to invest.
“The federal government has struck this deal with the private sector towards ending tuberculosis by 2030. Together, we can ensure that our resources are used efficiently, effectively, and transparently, with a plan to monitor our progress over time.
“What we are doing is to say, look, the federal government does its part, the state governments do their part, and we saw the wife of the Lagos state governor as well, and what Lagos state government is doing, and the private sector joins us alongside the development partners. Together, we can be able to end tuberculosis over time in Nigeria, but it’s a long journey.
“So dealing with it requires a whole of society, and a whole of government approach. That’s the spirit of the lead-up agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Health and Social Welfare, the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative”, he concluded.
Pate made it known that Nigeria requires more than $25 million to meet the goal of ending TB, emphasizing that there are many entities supporting Nigeria’s effort.
