On Wednesday, the Federal Government of Nigeria received a grant of $9,261,920 from the Canadian government. The grant aims to support the scale-up of COVID-19 vaccine services for high-priority risk groups and strengthen Nigeria’s health system. The initiative was launched at an event in Abuja, where the High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, Jamie Christoff, emphasized Canada’s commitment to supporting Nigeria in disease prevention and protecting vulnerable populations.
While COVID-19 is no longer a global emergency, reinforcing public health systems remains essential for an inclusive and sustainable recovery. The project will be implemented in seven countries under CanGIVE, with Nigeria receiving the largest share of 9 million Canadian dollars. This grant comes at a crucial time to improve vaccine coverage and uptake among priority populations in Nigeria.
Dr. Walter Mulombo, the World Health Organisation Country Representative Office in Nigeria, highlighted the significance of the grant in enhancing vaccine distribution. Dr. Faisal Shuaib, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, shared that Nigeria has made significant progress in its COVID-19 vaccination program, reaching over 75% of the target population aged 18 and above with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine since the program’s launch on March 5, 2021.
