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Pate Lauds U.S. Govt, Partners Over $900m Investment In Malaria, Others
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, has commended U.S. Government and other partners for investing $900million in Nigeria’s malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis programmes.
He made the commendation in Abuja when he received the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy, the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Dr John Nkengasong.
Also among the delegation was Executive Director, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Peter Sands, and U.S. Global Malaria Coordinator for the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), Dr David Walton.
According to Pate, the US Government support which is about $900million over the years is already a significant amount of support.
The minister said: “We appreciate the generosity of the American people and American government and other governments that contribute to the global fund because the global fund comprises seven countries, not only the United States Government.”
Pate said that the visit symbolised the significance that the delegation places on the health and well-being of Nigerians and on Nigeria’s positioning in the global effort to improve people’s health.
He, however, said that financing and technical capability were not the only challenges the nation’s health sector faced though financing was very important.
Pate said that overall governance was very important and that the ministry would support the vision of President Bola Tinubu to ensure the health sector was better covered.
He added: “Which means that to govern health better, we have to look at the intergovernmental aspects as well as what we do as a Federal Government.
“We have to do it with our development partners like yourself and others who are going to come after to serve Nigerians, to improve their health and wellbeing and have good data to tell the story of where we are going.
“To hold ourselves accountable and also hold you accountable, even as the source countries also called institutions accountable. That’s the pillar of governance.”
Pate said that to strengthen the platform for delivery of health services, the nation had to retrain and update standards of practice for its frontline health workers.
The U.S. Global Malaria Coordinator for the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative, Dr David Walton, commended Nigeria on the progress that had been made in healthcare deliverables, especially ensuring that Nigerians were protected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He added that the global fund was proud to be a partner with Nigeria and the fund has a lot at stake.
Walton said: “Nigeria is the country that receives more global fund investments than any other country in the world so your success is our success.
“We are completely united with you in the objective of saving lives, improving the health systems, improving health and well-being for people all across this country.
“This visit is a very deliberate effort to ensure we are coordinated in supporting you and particularly at this really important moment where we have a new government, new president, new leadership in Ministry of Health.
“We want to be aligned in the way we put our resources and capabilities behind the government. We are delighted to engage in these discussions, but we should see this as just a first step of ongoing dialogue.”
“However, it is also about action because ultimately it’s the actions that counts and that is what will save people’s lives and improve people’s health.”
Also at the event, the 2022 Nigeria Malaria Report was inaugurated.
The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, acknowledged the commitment of the Global Fund and the US Government through PEPFAR and the President’s Malaria Initiative, which continues to support disease elimination efforts in the African region.
The director said that as one of the region’s largest and most economically important countries, Nigeria had a major role in tackling disease prevention and control among its population.
She, however, said that Nigeria had made great strides in improving the health of its population and that the country made progress on HIV between 2015 and 2021, meeting two of the 95-95-95 goals.
According to her, tuberculosis intervention coverage is improving, with increasing case detection over the same period.
Moeti said: “The African Region carries a high proportion of the global malaria burden, accounting for about 95per cent of all malaria cases and 96 percent of all malaria deaths in 2021.
“While Nigeria accounts for around 27percent of the global burden of malaria cases, the country has seen major progress.
“Malaria incidence has fallen by 26percent since 2000, from 413 per 1000 to 302 per 1000 in 2021. Malaria deaths also fell by 55percent, from 2.1 per 1000 population to 0.9 per 1000 population.”
Moeti said that the drivers of the continuing disease burden include the size of Nigeria’s population, making scaling up intervention challenging; suboptimal surveillance systems, which pick up less than 40percent of the country’s malaria data.
Also, inadequate funding to ensure universal interventions across all states and health seeking behaviour, where people use the private sector, with limited regulation, preferentially.
She added: “Further, learning from COVID-19, we know that continuity of provision of essential health services is critical to interventions in malaria and other diseases.
“This is particularly in populations affected by humanitarian emergencies and changing environmental factors, such as climate change, and farming and mining practices that may increase transmission.
“Addressing the prevention, elimination, and control of malaria and the burden from other diseases requires critical data and information gathering for evidence-based investment and decision-making.”
According to her, the report on malaria in Nigeria 2022 is an excellent model from which to use data to prioritise health interventions.
Moeti added that using data, Nigeria could prioritise and target interventions, optimise allocation of resources and facilitate the monitoring of performance at federal and state levels.
She also said that the report was a result of the collaboration between the Nigeria Malaria Elimination Programme, the WHO Regional Office for Africa, and the Global Malaria Programme.
It provides critical information on the status of malaria in each of the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria, making it unique in providing data at the state level.
According to her, this is to guide a truly subnational response to malaria, providing an overview of the malaria situation across all states.
Also focusing on population demographics, malaria interventions, climate and disease burden.
“Going forward, the regional office must support the generation of the data and evidence required to develop similar reports on other diseases and conditions.
“This will enable countries to monitor interventions at national and sub-national level, to tailor the use of funds by donors and government in the control of communicable and non-communicable diseases.
“WHO will continue to play a central and connecting role in working with government, the global fund, PEPFAR, PMI and other partners in Nigeria, at national and state level, to optimise investments to reduce the burden of malaria and other diseases in the country.”
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
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RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.