Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria are pushing for increased domestic funding to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, amid a decline in external donor support.
The call is driven by the need for sustainable funding to maintain progress made in tackling these diseases. With a significant reduction in donor funding, Nigerian authorities are being urged to allocate more resources to the health sector.
The CSOs have also come together to develop a unified framework for increased domestic funding to combat HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria.
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The initiative aims to harmonise strategic plans and priorities across different disease programs, enabling a more effective approach to increase domestic funding.
The three-day workshop aims to review existing frameworks, harmonise them, and develop a common framework for domestic resource mobilisation.
Speaking at a sideline of the Harmonisation of Civil Society Strategies on Domestic Resource Mobilisation for HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria workshop on Wednesday in Abuja, the First Vice Chair of the Global Fund Country Coordinating Mechanism, Ayo Ipinmoye, called on civil society organisations to work together to strengthen domestic resourcing for health.
Ipinmoye emphasised the need for Nigerians to take ownership of their health sector, rather than relying on foreign funding.
He said, “We have waited on other countries to fund the work that we do for too long,” Ipinmoye said. “We need to pay for the things that make for the good health of Nigerians.”
He added that civil society has a crucial role to play in advocacy, ensuring that the government allocates sufficient funds for health and uses them judiciously.
Ipinmoye also attributed the shift towards domestic funding to the global trend of donors pulling back due to “donor fatigue.” He noted that this presents an opportunity for Nigeria to strategise and ensure that national resources are used efficiently.
“We need to find ways of increasing budget reallocations and also ensure that the private sector and community members play their part,” Ipinmoye said.
“We have big companies in Nigeria making a lot of money, and it’s time for them to give back to strengthen the health of the people they’re making money from.”
Ipinmoye emphasised the importance of partnerships between government, private sector, and community in achieving good health outcomes.
He also highlighted the need for communities to take responsibility for utilising resources effectively, citing the example of malaria nets being used for fishing and other purposes instead of their intended use.
When asked if Nigeria would achieve better health outcomes with domestic funding, Ipinmoye responded, “Yes, and sincerely, when this thing happened, I did say it’s one of the best things that could have happened to us as a nation… It enables us to own our own processes.”
He acknowledged that the transition may be painful in the short term but believes it will lead to a higher level of thinking and strategising.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) Nigeria for the Global Fund, Tajudeen Ibrahim, noted that relying on foreign funding is no longer sustainable.
“We need to take ownership of our health sector. We need to pay for the things that make for the good health of Nigerians.”
He mentioned that the Global Fund requires countries to contribute a minimum of 15% co-financing for HIV, TB, and malaria programs, and Nigeria has had a tough time meeting this requirement in the past.
Ibrahim attributed the country’s progress in meeting the co-financing requirement to partnerships between the government and civil society organisations.
“When we work well with some states and civil society plays key roles, we can meet the requirement. The CCM Nigeria has launched a new strategy to mobilise domestic resources, with a focus on coordinating efforts across different disease-specific programmes.”
“Each programme has a detailed plan, with malaria requiring about $2 billion annually to implement comprehensive interventions. The current deficit stands at over $1 billion.”
Ibrahim stressed the importance of efficient resource utilisation and government accountability in ensuring the success of these programs.
“We need to make sure the resources are used for the purpose they are allocated,” he said, urging civil society organisations to “play a key role in promoting transparency and accountability”.
The Board Chair of the Stop TB Partnership, Dr. Queen Ogbuji-Laoye, said, several disease programs have been working in silos, but in the face of dwindling funding from external sources, we all have to come together from a unified front.
“We are bringing all the civil society together to harmonise our strategic plan for domestic resource mobilisation.”
Dr. Ogbuji-Laoye emphasised the critical role civil society organisations play in advocating for support from the government, private sector, and philanthropists.
“Civil society organisations occupy a strategic position; they are the voice for the voiceless,” she said. “We can communicate and push for support, and that’s why we are here together.”
Dr. Ogbuji-Laoye noted that defining priorities is crucial to creating an effective framework. “We really have to define what our priorities are for us to be able to work together and put up a very good framework,” she said.
The initiative is being coordinated by the Stop TB Partnership, to enable civil society organisations to effectively mobilise domestic resources and address gaps in HIV, TB, and malaria programmes.