15 Aug. 2022
The Abdul Samad Rabiu Initiative for Africa (ASR Africa) met with various stakeholders on the eradication of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in Nigeria; as part of its partnership program with the World Health Organization (WHO).
This meeting was organized by WHO at the instance of ASR to allow the organization understand the needs of local partners, the successes and challenges faced in the eradication of NTDs in Nigeria. During the meeting, the National Coordinator of NTDs at the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Nse Akpan appreciated all the agencies present for their untiring effort towards the eradication of NTDs in Nigeria before the year 2030. He lamented on the limited funding available for NTD intervention programs i Nigeria and also the present international donor fatigue, saying that this has to change in other to hasten the eradication of various NTDs in Nigeria before the year 2030. Dr Nse also pointed out other challenges that needs to be urgently addressed and they include poor awareness of NTDs in Nigeria, establishment of laboratories for testing of NTDs, coordination and logistics and the availability of WASH projects; to prevent the spread of NTDs in the country.
In his response, the MD of ASR, Mr Ubon Udoh, highlighted ASR’s commitment to supporting developmental projects in the health sector in Nigeria. He added that ASR will not only provide financial support but also technical support which will include communication and awareness creation, development of data management systems, Sophisticated Monitoring and Evaluation tools for analyzing NTD intervention programs.
The representative of the World Health Organization Dr. Aliyu Usman SULEIMAN expressed his personal satisfaction on the partnership with ASR Africa. He mentioned that with the shortage of International funding, ASR’s intervention will aid the activities of local partners in Nigeria.
Other participants at the meeting called on the Chairman of BUA, Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu to become the face of NTDs in Nigeria in order to attract other philanthropist like himself. Follow up meetings are expected to take place between ASR and the various stakeholders.
