Vice President Kashim Shettima has reaffirmed Nigeria's commitment to eliminating the polio virus from the country by the end of 2023.
This pledge follows a generous commitment from billionaire businessman and philanthropist, Bill Gates, who announced that his foundation will invest $7 billion in Africa over the next four years.
During a meeting held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa on Thursday, June 22, 2023, Vice President Shettima, along with several governors under the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF), gathered to discuss strategies for achieving sustainable development goals.
The billionaires, Bill Gates and Aliko Dangote, were in attendance and stressed the importance of concrete actions by Nigerian leaders.
In November 2022, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation declared its commitment to provide $7 billion in funding to Nigeria and other African countries over the next four years. This amount is a substantial increase of 40% compared to the previous four years. The foundation aims to address various issues such as hunger, disease, poverty, and gender inequality.
Nigeria is expected to receive a significant portion of the grant, particularly to bolster the primary healthcare system, enhance polio eradication efforts, and ensure comprehensive immunisation campaigns covering all Nigerian children.
Vice President Shettima, speaking at the event, expressed Nigeria's unwavering determination to eradicate polio completely by December. He emphasised the urgency of timely domestic financing for vaccine procurement and highlighted the importance of expanding the country's industrial capacity for vaccine production.
Despite the challenges Nigeria faces in combating polio, Vice President Shettima noted that the three-dose pentavalent vaccine coverage has improved from 33% in 2016 to 57% in 2021. He commended the states that have achieved high immunisation coverage, increasing from 12 to 21 states over the past five years.
Shettima extended the federal government's gratitude to partners such as the Dangote Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for their unwavering support during uncertain times in Nigeria.
Other Voices on the issue
Aliko Dangote, Africa's richest man, also addressed the gathering, highlighting the long-standing partnership between Gates, himself, and the Nigerian federal and state governments. Their collaboration has focused on eradicating polio, improving routine immunisation, nutrition, and primary healthcare throughout the country.
Chairman of the Nigeria Governors' Forum, Abdulraman Abdulrasaq, and other governors present at the event praised the philanthropic interventions of the Dangote Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in critical sectors of Nigeria's economy.
In a statement issued by Olusola Abiola, Director of Information at the Office of the Vice President, the governors expressed their willingness to further collaborate with the Dangote and Gates Foundations in the years ahead.