Nigeria better equipped for pandemics after COVID-19 response investments

Nigeria is significantly better positioned to confront future disease outbreaks, thanks to strategic investments channeled through the Global Fund's COVID-19 Response Mechanism (C19RM) between 2021 and 2025. The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) announced that these interventions have bolstered the nation's health security infrastructure.

“

We learned through COVID-19 that being prepared for one emergency isn’t just about that emergency; it’s about being prepared for any emergency.

The C19RM initiative, initially launched to support countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, has left a lasting legacy of stronger disease surveillance systems, improved laboratory networks, enhanced emergency response capabilities, and a more resilient health infrastructure. These advancements are now crucial components of Nigeria's broader strategy for public health preparedness.

Dr. Temitope Ilori, Director-General of NACA, stated that the investments made during the COVID-19 era extend beyond immediate pandemic response. "We learned through COVID-19 that being prepared for one emergency isn't just about that emergency; it's about being prepared for any emergency," Ilori said. She emphasized that the C19RM investments in emergency response, supply chain resilience, and rapid deployment capacity are now embedded within Nigeria's health systems planning and programming.

“

C19RM investments in emergency response mechanisms, supply chain resilience and rapid deployment capacity are now embedded in our health systems planning and programming.

NACA reported that the C19RM supported Nigeria's efforts to mitigate the pandemic's impact while simultaneously strengthening critical health system components and safeguarding hard-won gains against HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria. The program funded significant improvements in disease surveillance, laboratory systems, infection prevention and control, oxygen infrastructure, cold-chain systems, healthcare workforce capacity, and emergency response operations nationwide. Stakeholders at a recent close-out meeting reviewed the program's outcomes and discussed strategies for sustaining the achieved gains.

“

The C19RM grant demonstrated the power of effective partnership, positioning, coordination, engagement, oversight and country ownership in responding to a public health emergency.