By Hassan Zaggi
Concerned by the poor funding for Tuberculosis (TB) in Nigeria, Stop TB Partnership Geneva and Stop TB Partnership Nigeria in collaboration with all stakeholders have concluded plans to meet with policy makers and other relevant stakeholders to mobilise domestic resources in order to end the dreaded disease in Nigeria.
In a statement made available to The AUTHORITY, the High-level Mission on Domestic Resource Mobilization will hold from Monday 22nd August to Friday, 26th August 2022.
It would be recalled that currently, in Nigeria, an estimated 156,000 people die as a result Tuberculosis (TB) every year. This, therefore, indicates that every hour, an estimated 18 people die of TB and 432 people die of TB every day.
Nigeria is said to be among the 30-high burden countries for TB, TB/HIV and Multi Drug Resistant TB (MDR-TB).
Nigeria is ranked 6th among the 30-high burden countries globally and number one in Africa.
Findings also showed that Nigeria accounts for 11 per cent of the global gap between TB incidence and notified cases and out of the 452,000 estimated new TB cases in Nigeria in 2020, only 138,591 were notified to the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBlCP) with only 30 per cent treatment coverage.
Considering that Nigeria has huge funding gap which may make it impossible to reach it 2030 global targets, the visit by the high-level mission to mobilise domestic resources is, no doubt, imperative.
In Nigeria, of the USD 373 million needed for the TB response in 2020, only 31% was available to all the implementers of TB control activities in Nigeria (7% domestic and 24% donor funds), with 69% funding gap.
During the high-level Mission, there will be opportunity to meet policy makers and senior government officials at the federal and state levels, private sector and other stakeholders to discuss the challenges and recommendations to end TB in Nigeria, especially how to mobilize additional resources through the corporate sector and philanthropists.
The Mission is being led by Dr. Lucica Ditiu – Executive Director, Stop TB Partnership Geneva.
Other prominent members of the Mission include the Mr. Austin Obiefuna – the Vice-Chair, Board of Stop TB Partnership Geneva and other key personalities from the global and national levels including Patrons, Executive Committee and Board Members of Stop TB Partnership Nigeria; National TB and Leprosy Control Programme (NTBLCP) and representatives from the Private Sector.
