FG Inaugurates Global Fund Grant Cycle 7 to Combat Malaria and HIV/AIDS in Nigeria
Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Muhammad Ali Pate,
Prof. Ali Pate, the coordinating minister for Health and Social Welfare at the Federal Ministry of Health, highlighted the significance of the program for the people of Nigeria.
As the Chairman of the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM), Dr. Pate emphasized the grant’s role in supporting the government’s efforts against the epidemics of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
The grant is also set to contribute to building a resilient and sustainable health system for pandemic preparedness, ensuring health security for all citizens, especially vulnerable populations such as women and children under five years old.
About the global fund grant
The current Global Fund Grant Cycle-7 grants totals $933,156,931 and would support interventions in 13 priority states in Nigeria for malaria, 4 comprehensive states for HIV/AIDS, and all the 36 states plus FCT will benefit from the tuberculosis’s grant.
It will also support health system strengthening in all 36 states plus FCT and 5 states with health insurance for vulnerable groups.
The funds are allocated to various programs, including HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria, and Resilient and Sustainable System for Health (RSSH) initiatives.
The nominated 8 principal recipients are National Agency for the control of AIDS, National AIDS and STDs Control Programme-FMOH, National Tuberculosis, Leprosy; Buruli Ulcer Control Programme-FMOH, Institute for Virology Nigeria, National Malaria Elimination Programme-FMOH, Catholic Relief Services, Lagos State Ministry of Health, and National Tuberculosis, Leprosy; Buruli Ulcer Control Programme- FMOH RSSH.
According to the ministry of health, the total Global fund investment in Nigeria is now over $4 billion since inception in 2003 making Nigeria the highest recipient country.
Nigeria also emerged as the highest recipient of the Global Fund grant during the 2021-2023 implementation periods, securing over $1.2 billion, including funds allocated for COVID-19 response.
Dr. Pate emphasized the strategic focus on strengthening health systems, particularly laboratory systems, for surveillance, diagnostics, and quality assurance.
By the end of 2023, more than 87 million mosquito nets had been distributed across Nigeria, supported by the Global Fund.
Highlighting the importance of state involvement, Dr. Pate urged states to take leadership and ownership of the process to ensure sustainability.
He called upon the media and religious leaders to encourage communities to access care at designated facilities, both public and private.
Pate promised that there will be an increase in the Prevention of mother to child Transmission (PMCT) services from now till 2026 using the primary healthcare systems.
“Specifically, during the grant period from now till 2026, we will increase PMCT services, using the primary health care system.
We will also scale the case notification rate for all forms of TB from where it is and sustain the current success rate beyond the initial target of 90% and enrol 100% of drug resistant TB on appropriate treatment.
On malaria, the goal is to improve access and utilization of vector control interventions and ensure provision of chemo prevention, diagnosis and appropriate treatment for 80% of the target population.”
He acknowledged the global fund for collaborating with the health ministry to retrain up to 120,000 frontline workers in the coming periods in line with its target of 95-95-95 by 2025.
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