The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced a new funding of $26.5 million to support good governance and health in Nigeria.
USAID, in a statement issued yesterday in Abuja, said the additional support is aimed at helping the country achieve the development goals outlined in the bilateral Development Objectives Assistance Agreement between the US and Nigerian governments signed in 2015.
The statement reads in part: “Of the new funding, $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 US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), for a total of $26.5 million in additional assistance.
“USAID is also partnering federal and state health ministries to build stronger health systems with the aim of guaranteeing equitable access to quality healthcare services nationwide. The additional new funding brings the total US government assistance provided under the five-year Development Objectives agreement to $1.1 billion.
“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 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.