Nigeria embraces independence after USAID exit

Following the unexpected departure of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, has assured citizens that the country is prepared to handle its own healthcare needs.

This is coming a few weeks after the USA president, Donald Trump pushed for the scrapping of USAID.

USAID has long been a vital supporter of Nigeria’s healthcare system, aiding over 1.3 million people with antiretroviral therapies and running programs to combat tuberculosis, malaria, and maternal and child health issues. With the agency’s withdrawal, there are concerns about whether Nigeria can sustain its healthcare services independently.

Pate, however, remains optimistic. In a Friday night appearance on Channels Television’s Hard Copy, he conveyed a sense of gratitude rather than distress. “So for us, we are not complaining. We are full of appreciation to the US government for the contributions they have made,” he said.

“The American people have played a significant role in helping us care for our people. But at the end of the day, we are responsible for our own population’s health.”

“We may be a poor country, but we are a capable country,” Pate asserted. “We are determined to own up to that responsibility. If others step in and support us, we appreciate it, but we are not begging for it.”

Despite ongoing concerns about how Nigeria will address the funding gap left by USAID, Pate insists that the country has already taken steps to increase domestic resources. “Our approach, long before the change in U.S. policy, has been towards increasing national ownership, improving our healthcare value chain, and producing what we use,” he explained.

“We are strengthening our resilience through surveillance and laboratory systems to combat infectious diseases.”