Lagos State Government Hails Global Fund's Grants

Eko Hot Blog reports that Prof. Emmanuel Akinola Abayomi, the Commissioner for Health in Lagos State, has expressed profound gratitude and optimism regarding the Global Fund’s approval of new grants to accelerate the fight against HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria in more than 70 countries, including Nigeria.

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The announcement was made at an event themed “Making Global Fund Investment Work for Nigeria,” where representatives from the Global Fund and Nigerian health authorities convened to discuss strategies for effective utilization of the grants.

During the event, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Tunji Alausa, and Prof. Emmanuel Akinola Abayomi, the Commissioner for Health in Lagos State, received equipment donated by the Global Fund to support the country’s efforts against HIV and tuberculosis (TB).

The minister received the equipment on Tuesday at the event, which was held at the Federal Medical Stores in Oshodi, Lagos State.

The latest donation from the Global Fund, an international financing organization aimed at defeating HIV, TB, and malaria globally, includes 72 Toyota Hilux operational vehicles. These vehicles will be distributed equally across the 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to support state governments’ oversight of integrated HIV and TB programs in their respective states.

Akin Abayomi welcomed the Global Fund’s delegation, stating, “The protocol has been well established. We have a lot of things to talk about and to do this morning. I’ll start by welcoming my senior colleague and the honorable minister of state for health and social welfare, Tunji Alausa. It is always fantastic to see him because he always brings us goodies. We are always very happy when we hear that you are coming with your big team, who are very engaging and supportive.”

Abayomi expressed gratitude for the Global Fund’s longstanding support for Lagos State, saying, “I’d like to welcome Mark Edington, head of grant management at Global Funds. Of course, we are very happy with the amount of support you’ve given Lagos State over the years. We try our best to put it to good use, and you have made Lagos a place where you gave us some direct funding, which strategically gave us significant confidence in Lagos State.”

Acknowledging the Global Fund’s evolving approach, Abayomi stated, “We understand your changing paradigm, which is moving away from problematic to systematic. That is certainly what we are interested in as well in Lagos. We are interested in teaching one how to catch fish rather than giving them fish.”

Abayomi extended his gratitude on behalf of the commissioners across Nigeria, expressing, “Thank you very much to the Global Fund for the large bundle of gifts we are going to inspect in a short period of time, including these donated vehicles. On behalf of the commissioners around Nigeria, I speak on their behalf today to thank you for that generous donation. On that note, thank you very much.”