Gates Foundation Invests $27 Million in Nigeria’s Primary Healthcare

Gates Foundation Invests $27 Million in Nigeria’s Primary Healthcare

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has invested $27 million in Nigeria’s Primary Health Care Challenge Fund over the past four years. The funding aims to drive reforms and improve service delivery at the state level. About 70% of the investment was dedicated to performance awards to incentivize state governments to prioritize, reform, and sustainably finance primary healthcare .

Performance-Based Awards: The funding is designed to promote healthy competition and peer accountability among states, with one national winner and additional awards for the best and second runners-up states across all six geopolitical zones.
Improved Health Indicators: Recent national surveys and administrative data show progress in several health indicators since the introduction of the fund, including increased routine immunization coverage and a decline in zero-dose children.
Partnership with Government: The Gates Foundation remains committed to partnering with the Nigerian government to revitalize primary healthcare, emphasizing the importance of strong political leadership, improved financing, and accountability .

The investment has led to significant progress in the country’s healthcare system, including:

Revitalization of Primary Healthcare Centers :Over 2,127 primary healthcare centers have been revitalized, with work ongoing in 1,671 others.
Increased Access to Essential Health Commodities: Essential health commodities have been delivered to each of the 774 local government areas.
Improved Immunization Coverage: Routine immunization coverage has increased, with several states exceeding 75% coverage.

The Gates Foundation’s investment in Nigeria’s primary healthcare is a significant step towards improving the country’s healthcare system. With a focus on performance-based awards and partnership with the government, the initiative has shown promising results and has the potential to make a lasting impact on the health and wellbeing of Nigerians.