Nigeria: NCDC - N10bn Health Security Fund Not Exclusively for Ebola Preparedness
[Daily Trust] The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) says the Federal Government released N10 billion to strengthen Nigeria's broader health security system, not exclusively for Ebola preparedness, amid public debate.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has clarified that the recently allocated N10 billion health security fund is not exclusively intended for Ebola preparedness, amid public concerns over the funding's purpose. According to Dr Jide Idris, NCDC's Director-General, the funds will support broader health security measures, including prevention, preparedness, early detection and rapid response to various diseases such as Lassa fever, cholera, meningitis, diphtheria, measles, Mpox and antimicrobial resistance.
The funding was released directly to NCDC, not the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease, which focuses on coordinating the national response to Ebola. Despite the significant investment required, Dr Idris noted that the N10 billion allocation represents only about two percent of the average annual cost needed to implement Nigeria's National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) 2.0, which runs from 2025 to 2029 and seeks approximately N522 billion over five years.
The plan adopts a multisectoral, One Health approach, involving government bodies, development partners, civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
