The Nigerian government has secured a $600,000 relief fund and commitments from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to hasten relief efforts for victims of devastating floods in Borno state and other health and agriculture sectors’ initiatives.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation also approved $5 million grant for Lagos Business School and partners to develop the agricultural economics of industrial cassava.
The contributions were announced when Vice President Kashim Shettima held a meeting with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation led by its head of Global Development Programme, Dr Christopher Elias, on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The Vice President reaffirmed the commitment of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to placing health, nutrition and agricultural development at the forefront of nation’s national agenda.
“We are deeply committed to addressing the pressing developmental challenges facing our nation, particularly the significant malnutrition crisis,” he said.
He emphasised the Nigerian government’s dedication to integrity and effective leadership in tackling these issues, pointing out that there was an urgency in securing locations for maize production under the telemaze programme.
“We recognize the critical importance of food security and industrial agricultural development. The Cassava Accelerator programme, in particular, holds immense potential for our economy.
“We are pursuing a whole-of-government approach to digitisation and data exchange systems, which we believe will revolutionise our public services,” he said.
He said with the expertise of Nigeria’s ministers and the continued support of partners like the Gates Foundation, the nation remains confident in its “ability to drive meaningful change and improve the lives of all Nigerians.”
Also speaking, the president of the Global Development Programme at the Gates Foundation, Dr Christopher Elias, said the foundation was deeply worried about the severe flooding in Borno, and was committed to supporting Nigeria in times of crisis.
He said the foundation would support Nigeria’s health sector reforms, particularly in the fight against polio.
“We’re impressed by the national task force’s efforts to eliminate variant polioviruses by year-end,” he said.
