The funds – to be used to procure essential medical supplies – was announced today by Edward Kallon, the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, at a national conference in Abuja on the COVID-19 crisis.

“The United Nations system in Nigeria will support rapid procurement of disease commodity packages for surveillance, prevention and control, and clinical management,” he said.

He added that the UN will support the Government’s efforts to immediately set up a national response fund that will serve as a single national platform and financing framework, coordinating partnerships and mobilizing resources that can make an effective impact on the ground.

The gesture is part of a wider United Nations strategy to amplify efforts by Governments around the world to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kallon said. It also underscores the urgent need for collaboration, given the multifaceted nature of the virus and its impact on Nigeria’s economy and society.

Nigeria’s Minister for Health, Osagie Ehanire, thanked the United Nations system for its support. He said the Government will ensure that resources are deployed where they are needed most, and that his Ministry is prepared for both worst-case and best-case scenarios.

The World Health Organization (WHO) office in Abuja has reported a total of 44 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria as of today, including one death.

Photo caption and credit:
UNIC Lagos
Edward Kallon (right), UN Resident-Coordinator in Nigeria; UNAIDS Country Director, Erasmus Morah (2nd right); and Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire (2nd left); and others attend a meeting in Lagos on the UN Nigeria response to COVID-19 pandemic.