Abuja, 12 July 2016 - Nigeria’s Minister of Budget and Planning and his counterpart in the Ministry of Finance on 11 July, 2016 in Abuja, separately assured the visiting WHO Regional Director (RD) for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, that health remains a key priority of government.

Both ministers gave the RD their commitments towards increasing federal budgetary allocation for the health sector in 2017 in order to help the sector implement government's priority of revitalizing primary health care (PHC) and putting it at the base of health services delivery pyramid.

“We regret the reduction in current budget but wish to assure you of significant increase in order to make up for it in next year’s budget for implementation of the laudable programmes of improving health of the Nigerian citizenry” the Minister of Budget and Planning, Honourable Udoma Udo Udoma said. 

His counterpart, Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, who is also the chairperson of an  inter-ministerial task force on sustainable health  financing, pledged timely and full release of funds in the 2016 approved federal health budget. She also promised to work towards having sustainable strategies for health financing which are implementable at lower levels.

In their comments, both ministers congratulated Dr Moeti for being the first female WHO RD in Africa and for her personal contribution to the fight against the HIV/AIDs scourge on the continent.

In her initial comments, Dr Moeti appreciated the Buhari-led administration for the timely release of USD50 million towards implementation of polio eradication-related activities in 2016, prioritization of health and social protection in its agenda for development and the focus towards increasing access to services to the most vulnerable populations. 

She raised concern over the reduction in budgetary allocation to health in 2016, from over 6% to just over 4%. Furthermore, in order to achieve the objective of her advocacy meetings, Dr Moeti made a passionate plea for domestic funding of health-related sustainable development goals (SDGs) and also to optimally realize the laudable programmes planned by the Federal Ministry of Health.

According to her, the ratification of SDGs by United Nations member states in 2015 required a strong multi-sectoral collaboration, including from the ministries of Finance and Budget and Planning without which, set targets could not be achieved.

In view of the rebasing of Nigeria’s GDP and the progressive reduction in external assistance for health, the RD posited that “this will require greater need for domestic resources to close the gap and ensure that the gains in coverage of key health interventions and programmes are not lost”.

Dr Moeti assured both ministers that on its part, WHO will continue providing the necessary technical support for the priority areas in order to improve Nigeria’s health care indicators towards achievement of the health-related SDGs.

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01 Dr Moeti speaking with Nigeria's Minister for Budget & Planning

02 (L-R)  WHO Country Representative, RD, Minister of Finance and Minister of Health after the advocacy meeting