🇳🇬 Nigeria Sets Course for Health Independence, Targets End to Foreign Aid Reliance

The Federal Government has pledged a bold transition toward self-reliance in healthcare financing, aiming to end decades of dependency on international donors for medicines, health programmes, and critical services.

Zig Diaries Health
Date: Monday, 11 August 2025
Time: 15:00 WAT
Location: 📍 Abuja, Nigeria

Nigeria moves to increase domestic health financing, prioritise local manufacturing and reduced donor dependence.

The Federal Government on Monday unveiled plans to significantly reduce Nigeria’s reliance on foreign donors for healthcare, committing to higher domestic investment and local production of essential medicines.

Speaking at the HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Generative Workshop in Abuja, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, said the country must urgently take ownership of financing and delivering its own healthcare services, describing current donor dependency as “fundamentally unsustainable.”

“For over two decades, external partners have played a vital role in supporting our health system. But relying on others’ generosity to keep our population healthy is a flawed approach,” the Minister said.

Pate highlighted that recent funding uncertainties, including programme cuts, underscore the need for country-led systems and stronger local institutions. He urged state governments to channel more of their increased revenues into health services, adding that the Federal Government will:

·        Increase budget allocations for health at all levels.

·        Ensure timely release of funds.

·        Retain health workers whose salaries were donor-funded.

·        Expand local manufacturing of medicines and medical supplies.

The Minister stressed that the workshop’s outcomes would be implemented, not shelved, citing ongoing reforms and a sector-wide agreement with state governments.

Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Dr. Temitope Ilori, said the workshop’s goal is to identify immediate gaps and create long-term sustainability plans to avoid service disruption in HIV, TB, malaria, maternal and child health.

“We have the political will, and this administration is responsive and responsible. Resources are being mobilised to ensure there are no gaps,” she assured.

Fact-check & Background Context:

·        Nigeria receives substantial health funding from the U.S. Government, Global Fund, and other donors, especially for HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria.

·        The 2024 WHO funding suspension affected programme operations in several African countries.

·        Nigeria’s health budget allocation in 2024 was less than 5% of the national budget, far below the Abuja Declaration target of 15%.

🏷️ Tags: Nigeria health financing, HIV/AIDS, malaria, donor dependence, Muhammad Ali Pate, NACA, healthcare reform.
#Hashtags: #NigeriaHealth #DomesticFinancing #HealthcareReform #HIV #Malaria #NACA