The World Bank Board of Directors approved a $114.28 financing to help Nigeria prevent, detect and respond to the threat posed by COVID-19 with a specific focus on state level responses. This includes $100 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA)* and $14.28 million grant from the Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility.
Through the COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Project (CoPREP), the Government of Nigeria will provide grants to thirty-six states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as immediate support to break the chain of COVID-19 local transmission and limit the spread of coronavirus through containment and mitigation strategies. Grants to states will be conditional on states adopting COVID-19 response strategies which are in line with the Federal Government guidelines and strategies. CoPREP will enhance the institutional and operational capacity for disease detection through provision of technical expertise, coordination support, detection, diagnosis and case management efforts in all states and the FCT as per the WHO guidelines in the Strategic Response Plan. It will also help the government mobilize surge response capacity through trained and well-equipped frontline healthcare workers and strengthen the public health care network for future health emergencies.
“Nigeria has ramped up its efforts to contain the COVID -19 outbreak, but more needs to done at the state level, which are at the frontline of the response,” says Shubham Chaudhuri, World Bank Country Director for Nigeria “The project will provide the states with much needed direct technical and fiscal support to strengthen their position in combating the pandemic.”
In addition, the project will finance federal procurements of medical equipment, laboratory tests, and medicines to be distributed to the states based on their needs. It complements the Second Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement Project (REDISSE II) which is already providing short-term emergency support to implement national and state Incident Action Plans. So far, all 36 States have incident action plans cleared by the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and funds have been disbursed to 23 States.
Thank you very much for the assistance of the World Bank, which also shows that in the face of a global epidemic, all countries must unite and act in unison. But the reality is that some countries continue to shirk their responsibilities and despise COVID-19, which is a pity.