As part of the innovative drive towards transforming primary healthcare delivery in Nigeria, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PSHAN) under the “Adopt-A-Healthcare Facility Program (ADHFP)”.

The signing ceremony by WHO Representative in Nigeria Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, and Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of PSHAN, Dr Tinuola Akinbolagbe, which took place on 4 April 2024. was witnessed by the Nigerian Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammed Ali Pate and the Executive Director, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Muyi Aina. 

The partnership between WHO and PSHAN signifies the collaborative effort to accelerate financing and access to quality primary health care delivery for improved health outcomes in Nigeria as the foundation for Universal Health Care Coverage (UHC) and health security. It comes at a time when the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare is rolling out implementation of the Health Sector Renewal Investment Program (HSRIP) and the innovative Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) in collaboration with the States, and development partners.

Delivering the keynote address. Professor Pate congratulated both organizations on the partnership and appreciated the contribution of notable stakeholders in the initiative which keys into the government’s health transformative agenda. 

“We are very pleased to see this beginning to gather momentum. It is good to see a partnership like this being crafted. A few years ago, the “Adopt-A-Healthcare Facility Program” was launched and we acknowledge the leaders who have contributed already. So, congratulations for keeping the flag flying and WHO also for supporting PSHAN. 

Making a call for more private sector collaboration in the health sector, Prof Pate advised WHO and PSHAN to prioritize tracking the progress recorded in the newly forged partnership. 

He explained that the government is particular about health and PHC as the basis for delivering health services to the people.

“It will government at the federal, state, and local government levels as well as the private sector to happen. In the spirit of a sector wide approach we are improving the quality of governance in the health space in terms of holding ourselves accountable at all levels and also private sector.

“I look forward to tracking progress that is being made in terms of facilities that are adopted and made functional and encourage the private sector to support this initiative under the oversight of NPHCDA which is the government institution that drives the primary healthcare agenda of the country”, he said.

In his opening remark, the WHO Representative to Nigeria, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo said that this unique partnership between WHO and PSHAN aims to leverage on the comparative advantages of the two organizations to accelerate primary healthcare revitalization towards the achievement of Universal Health Coverage and health security in Nigeria in line with the one plan, one budget, one report, and one conversation principles of the SWAp agenda of the Federal Ministry of Health. 

“This partnership is consistent with the WHO offer to the Government of Nigeria as encapsulated in the 4th Generation Nigeria Country Cooperation Strategy (CCSIV) which over the next 4 years, would guide our commitment and investment to ensure that no one is indeed left behind, in line with the GPW13 and ensuing GPW14.

As the secretariat to member states on health, there, the WHO is committed to providing ongoing technical assistance to PSHAN and NPHCDA on this project, to ensure capacity strengthening and adherence to guidelines, norms and standards: accountability for results and value for money, as well as expansion of the learning agenda through innovative financing evidence generation and use,” he stated. 

Delivering the welcome address, the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of PSHAN, Dr Tinuola Akinbolagbe expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration with WHO and reiterated the organization’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s healthcare sector towards achieving UHC by leveraging on the strengths, expertise, and resources of both partners to address pressing health challenges and improve health out comes across the country. 

“At the core of our partnership lies the visionary Adopt-A-Healthcare Facility Programme (ADHFP), a flagship initiative aimed at establishing global-standard Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas. 

This initiative embodies our collective resolve to bridge the gap between healthcare demand and supply, empower local communities, and catalyze systemic change from the grassroots up. Through targeted investments, capacity-building initiatives, and innovative approaches to service delivery, we aim to create a healthcare ecosystem that is resilient, responsive, and inclusive’, she stated.

Under the MOU, WHO and PSHAN will work together to identify priority areas for intervention, assess healthcare facilities in need of support, mobilize resources to implement targeted interventions, track results of achievements, and document best practices for ongoing learning and scale-up. 

As the country grapples with various health challenges, including high out-of-pocket payments, infectious diseases, maternal and child health issues, and non-communicable diseases, this partnership holds great promise in addressing complex healthcare challenges while using innovative approaches to drive positive change towards improved health outcomes for generations to come.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) – Nigeria.

Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu, Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, and Hua Liu, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Technical Cooperation, signed Uganda’s Country Programme Framework (CPF) for the period of 2024-2029 on 16 February 2024. A CPF is the frame of reference for the medium-term planning of technical cooperation between a Member State and the IAEA and identifies priority areas where the transfer of nuclear technology and technical cooperation resources will be directed to support national development goals.

Uganda has been an IAEA Member State since 1967. Its 2024-2029 CPF identifies seven priority areas:

Nuclear and radiation safety

Food and agriculture

Human health

Water and the environment

Introduction of nuclear power

Uranium production

Feasibility studies on industrial applications such as: research reactor, industrial irradiator and non-destructive testing

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

With the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia now critical, the Government of Ethiopia and international partners meet today in Geneva to raise international support as the country’s UN-backed $3.24 billion humanitarian response plan for 2024 remains less than 5 per cent funded.

The Governments of Ethiopia and the United Kingdom – together with the United Nations – are behind the event and hope to hear announcements that will boost the life-saving response to some 15.5 million people in 2024.

The emergency has been building up through cycles of droughts and floods, and conflict. Food insecurity and malnutrition is expected to peak at 10.8 million people during the July-September lean season. Some 4.5 million people have fled their homes and there is rising concern for the provision of public health and protection.

El Niño has exacerbated a drought in the northern highlands and millions of people are coping with less water, drier pastures and smaller harvests. Malnutrition rates in parts of Afar, Ahmara, Tigray and other regions are of great concern and continuing to worsen.

At the same time, years of conflict in Tigray and other regions have destroyed or damaged thousands of schools, health facilities, water systems and other community infrastructure.

The Government of Ethiopia recently endorsed a new National Policy and Strategy on Disaster Risk Management in recognition of the country’s vulnerability to different climatic and conflict-driven shocks.

The Government has also committed $250 million for food support over coming months and further domestic resources have been dedicated to emergency response from regional governments and the Ethiopian private sector.

A well-coordinated response is already underway. The UN and humanitarian partners are backing the nationally led response to scale up life-saving assistance to 15.5 million people, and food aid to 10.4 million.

To fund the immediate response and ensure a pipeline of aid for the next five months, $1 billion is needed.
The one-day conference is expected to contribute towards that target.

H.E Ambassador Taye Atske Selassie, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, said: “Addressing the impacts of climate change requires collective global responsibility. The Ethiopian Government has launched integrated policy initiatives to transform the country from climate-induced crisis to food self-sufficiency based on a peace-development-humanitarian nexus. Ethiopia is determined to end the cycle of food insecurity. We appreciate the continued support of our development partners for their solidarity and cooperation in support of our national development endeavours and for their response to humanitarian needs.” UK Deputy Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell said: “The humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia is at a critical level.

When I visited earlier this year, I saw first-hand how conflict and drought are devastating communities – with women and young children being the hardest hit.”

“The UK is doing it all it can to ensure communities most in need across Ethiopia have access to nutrition, healthcare, water and sanitation. The international community must act now if we are to avoid the humanitarian crisis escalating further.”

UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Joyce Msuya, said: “Today, the world must stand shoulder to shoulder with the people and Government of Ethiopia as they face challenging times ahead. Conflict and climate hazards have taken a merciless toll: families uprooted, children malnourished and out of school, and now, with the lean season at the door, the grim spectre of rising hunger. We must help them turn the tide, invest in people’s lives, futures, and wellbeing, and bolster their inherent strength in the face of adversity.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).