Assures GAVI of Nigeria’s Commitment
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President Bola Tinubu has instructed the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate, to collaborate with the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, to secure necessary funds for vaccine procurement. This directive was issued during a meeting where Tinubu assured the Vaccine Alliance, GAVI, of Nigeria’s commitment to fulfilling its outstanding counterpart contributions for routine vaccines in 2023.
In addition, GAVI has offered Nigeria a $250m grant for local vaccine production. The President emphasized the readiness of Nigerian manufacturers to produce vaccines and urged GAVI to work with them to ensure equitable access to life-saving vaccines for both children and adults.
Tinubu highlighted the importance of local vaccine production partnerships, especially in the wake of challenges faced by developing countries during the COVID-19 pandemic and other infectious disease outbreaks. Nigeria was designated as one of the six countries in Africa for COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing in February 2022, and Tinubu reaffirmed the nation’s commitment to this initiative.
He expressed gratitude to GAVI for its impactful commitment to humanity and pledged Nigeria’s collaboration to save children from preventable diseases. The President also commended Dr. Sania Nishtar, CEO of GAVI, for her visit to Nigeria and her support for the nation’s health-sector initiatives.
Nishtar, in turn, congratulated Nigeria on its innovative health-sector initiatives and announced GAVI’s commitment to providing $250m grant support to Nigeria. She emphasized GAVI’s dedication to addressing vaccine inequity in Africa and highlighted Nigeria’s significance in GAVI’s success. The GAVI Board will soon decide on policy decisions that will impact Nigeria’s support beyond 2028, indicating the organization’s long-term commitment to the country’s health sector.
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