#CORONAVIRUS
Nigeria Better Prepared for Future Pandemics as COVID-19 Investments Strengthen Health System — NACA
The National Agency for the Control of AIDS has said Nigeria is now better equipped to respond to future disease outbreaks following strategic investments made under the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism, which strengthened the country’s disease surveillance, laboratory networks, emergency response systems and overall health infrastructure.
The Agency declared that Nigeria’s capacity to prevent, detect and respond to future pandemics has significantly improved due to key investments made through the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism between 2021 and 2025.
NACA disclosed this ahead of a national close-out meeting organised in partnership with the Global Fund and other implementing partners to assess the achievements, lessons learnt and long-term impact of the intervention across the country.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, the Director-General of NACA, Dr. Temitope Ilori, said the investments made during the COVID-19 pandemic had evolved beyond emergency response measures and had become an integral part of Nigeria’s health security architecture.
According to her, the programme strengthened critical areas of the health sector, including disease surveillance, laboratory systems, emergency preparedness, supply chain management and rapid response mechanisms.
“We learned through COVID-19 that being prepared for one emergency isn’t just about that emergency; it’s about being prepared for any emergency,” Ilori said.
She added that investments in emergency response mechanisms, supply chain resilience and rapid deployment capacity had been fully integrated into national health planning and programming.
NACA noted that the COVID-19 Response Mechanism played a crucial role in helping Nigeria mitigate the impact of the pandemic while preserving gains made in the fight against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.
The agency stated that the intervention supported improvements in laboratory capacity, infection prevention and control systems, oxygen infrastructure, cold-chain logistics, healthcare workforce development and emergency response operations nationwide.
Stakeholders at the close-out meeting reviewed the outcomes of the programme and discussed strategies for sustaining the gains recorded after the expiration of the grant.
The Executive Secretary of the Country Coordinating Mechanism Nigeria, Tajudeen Ibrahim, described the programme as a model of effective collaboration and local ownership in responding to public health emergencies.
“The C19RM grant demonstrated the power of effective partnership, coordination, engagement, oversight and country ownership in responding to a public health emergency,” Ibrahim said.
He noted that beyond supporting Nigeria’s immediate response to COVID-19, the intervention had strengthened vital health systems and enhanced the country’s preparedness for future disease outbreaks.
“These investments have strengthened critical health systems and facilitated pandemic preparedness and response capacities that will continue to benefit the country for years to come,” he said.
Ibrahim further stressed the need to sustain the achievements recorded under the programme and leverage lessons learnt to build a stronger and more resilient healthcare system.
Stakeholders also emphasised that the close-out meeting served as a call to deepen commitments towards strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare sector and ensuring effective responses to future public health emergencies.
The event featured presentations by implementing agencies and development partners, panel discussions, stakeholder reflections and the premiere of documentary productions showcasing the impact of the intervention on communities across the country.
Established by the Global Fund in 2020, the COVID-19 Response Mechanism was designed to help countries address the health, social and economic consequences of the pandemic while protecting essential health services and sustaining progress in the fight against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.
Nigeria was among the beneficiary countries, receiving support to expand testing and laboratory capacity, improve oxygen supply systems, strengthen disease surveillance, enhance emergency preparedness and build the capacity of health workers nationwide.
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