FG Donates $500m to Address Maternal and Child Health Challenges in Nigeria

The Federal Government of Nigeria has inaugurated a committee to supervise the $500 million grant donated to the 36 states of the federation and FCT, Abuja, to address maternal and child health challenges in the country.

On Wednesday in Abuja, the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, inaugurated the committee during a retreat organised by the federal programme management unit of the Saving One Million Lives Programme for Results (SOMLPforR).

”The fund is ‎expected to address five disbursement linked indicators which are increasing utilisation of high impact reproductive and child health and nutrition interventions.

Increasing quality of high impact reproductive and child health and nutrition interventions, improving monitoring and evaluation and data utilisation.

Increasing utilisation and quality of reproductive‎ and child health and nutrition, in addition to increasing transparency in management and budgeting of primary health centres.”

Speaking further, the minister said that the ministry would not interfere with the activities of the agent in any way. He charged the agent to serve to the best of its ability as an independent and credible assessor of the performance of the programme implementation at state and federal levels.

”We promise support but not interference, we will allow you to do your work. We need to utilise this resources properly, we have to show results and we have to pay for results. If there are no results there will be no further payment.”

Ibrahim Kana, who happens to be the National Programme Manager, SOMLforR, said that the IVA are like referees who will ensure there is a level playing field.

He reiterated that the disbursement-linked indicators are tied to future disbursements for states.