Nigeria, Germany Sign Polio Eradication Deal

The Federal Government last Thursday in Abuja signed a 15 million euro agreement with the Government of Germany on polio eradication.

The agreement was signed by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Nuruddeen Mohammed, and witnessed by the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Dorothee Janetzke-Wenzel.

In his address, Mohammed said that the money would finance three major components of the Polio Eradication Initiative.

He explained that the Federal Government appreciated the German Government for its past support of 35 million euro which was geared toward vaccine procurement.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria acknowledges and appreciates the German Government for its past support with 35 million Euro for these programmes and the current 15 million Euro, totaling 50 million Euro. “We are particularly motivated by the fact that while the Phases I to III grants were for vaccine procurement, only the current Phase Four is to finance three critical components of the Polio Eradication Initiative, he said.

“The phase four critical components are: Immunisation Plus Days Standard Operations, Acute Flaccid Paralysis Surveillance and Technical Assistance. “These are signs of confidence on Nigeria’s ability to judiciously utilise and manage the donor funds,” he added.

The minister expressed confidence that polio would be eradicated in Nigeria in 2013.

The German Ambassador to Nigeria, Dorothee Janetzke-Wenzel, in her address, said that the agreement was part of Germany’s global responsibility in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Janetzke-Wenzel said that the money pledged would be disbursed to the various partner organisations responsible for the eradication of polio in the country.

She stated that although the money was expected to be released before the end of the year, she did not sign the agreement because of internal German procedure.

In his address, the Executive-Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Ado Mohammad,  expressed optimism in the complete eradication of polio by the end of 2013.