The Nigerian government has secured a $600,000 relief fund and commitments from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The donation was announced when Vice President Kashim Shettima met with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation led by its head of the Global Development Programme, Dr Christopher Elias, on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The relief fund is to “hasten relief efforts for victims of the devastating floods, as well as for health and agricultural sectors’ reforms,” the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed in a statement he signed Thursday.
The statement is titled ‘Nigeria secures $600,000 for flood relief, health, agric sectors’ reforms.’
The announcement comes days after the Federal Government established a Disaster Relief Fund that, it says, would enable it to “build greater resilience” in preventing and responding to natural disasters nationwide, especially floods.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, who announced the fund on Monday said the DRF would consider the unique threats posed by climate change by pooling funds from a broad spectrum of public and private sector players and international donors.
Specifically, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $600,000 for flood relief in Borno State and other health sector initiatives, with an additional $5m grant approved for Lagos Business School and partners to develop the agricultural economics of industrial cassava.
Shettima reaffirmed the commitment of the administration of President Bola Tinubu to placing health, nutrition, and agricultural development at the forefront of the nation’s national agenda.
“We are deeply committed to addressing the pressing developmental challenges facing our nation, particularly the significant malnutrition crisis,” he stated.
He emphasised the Nigerian government’s dedication to integrity and effective leadership in tackling these issues, pointing out that there is an urgency in securing locations for maize production under the Telemaze programme.
