By Muhammad Amaan with agency report
Nigeria government and the United States have signed a $5 billion landmark technical Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), to deepen bilateral health cooperation, strengthen health security and build a more resilient national health system capable of preventing and containing infectious disease threats.
The Nation Newspaper reports that under the agreement, which takes effect from April 2026 to December 2030, the United States government will provide nearly $2 billion in grant funding, while Nigeria is committing to allocate at least 6% of executed annual federal and state domestic budgets to health, a pledge expected to mobilise close to $3 billion within the same five-year period.
The funding framework has already been factored into the Federal Government’s proposed 2026 Appropriation, underscoring the administration’s intention to anchor the partnership within Nigeria’s domestic fiscal planning, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, said.
The MoU, signed by officials of both governments, according to a statement by the Minister on Friday, is designed to strengthen cooperation in the early detection, prevention and control of emerging, re-emerging and existing infectious diseases in Nigeria, including HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.
Beyond disease control, the agreement covers the enhancement of disease surveillance systems, improved safety procedures for pathogen sample collection, transportation, storage, testing and disposal, as well as support for primary healthcare, financial protection mechanisms and technical assistance across the health sector.
Under the framework, both countries will work more closely to prevent the spread of infectious disease threats, while simultaneously strengthening the foundations of Nigeria’s health system to respond more effectively to future outbreaks.
A central feature of the agreement is its alignment with Nigeria’s long-term goal of health sector self- reliance.
While the United States will provide substantial grant funding in the initial years, Nigeria plans to progressively increase its health spending as a share of the national budget, with external financing expected to gradually decline by 2030.
The new partnership builds on reforms already underway in Nigeria’s health sector, when, in 2023, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare launched the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), aimed at improving healthcare accessibility, affordability, quality, accountability and efficiency nationwide.
The initiative is being implemented through a Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) designed to align federal, state and local governments, agencies, civil society, the private sector and development partners under a unified sector plan, budget and reporting framework.
