The National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) has said Nigeria is now better positioned to respond to future disease outbreaks following strategic investments made under the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism between 2021 and 2025.

NACA stated that the intervention, which was introduced to support countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, has left behind stronger disease surveillance systems, improved laboratory networks, enhanced emergency response mechanisms and a more resilient health infrastructure capable of responding to future public health threats.

The agency made this known ahead of a national close-out meeting convened in collaboration with the Global Fund and key implementing partners to review the achievements, lessons learned and long-term impact of the COVID-19 Response Mechanism investments in Nigeria in a statement on Wednesday.

The Director-General of NACA, Dr Temitope Ilori, said the investments made during the COVID-19 era were no longer limited to pandemic response but had become an integral part of Nigeria’s broader health security framework.

“We learned through COVID-19 that being prepared for one emergency isn’t just about that emergency; it’s about being prepared for any emergency,” Ilori said.

She added, “C19RM investments in emergency response mechanisms, supply chain resilience and rapid deployment capacity are now embedded in our health systems planning and programming.”

According to NACA, the COVID-19 Response Mechanism supported Nigeria’s efforts to mitigate the impact of the pandemic while strengthening critical components of the country’s health system and safeguarding gains made in the fight against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.

The agency noted that the intervention funded improvements in disease surveillance, laboratory systems, infection prevention and control measures, oxygen infrastructure, cold-chain systems, healthcare workforce capacity and emergency response operations across the country.

Stakeholders at the close-out meeting reviewed the outcomes of the programme and explored ways to sustain the gains achieved after the conclusion of the grant.

The event also provided a platform for implementing partners to share innovations, best practices and lessons from the implementation process, while highlighting the impact of the intervention on healthcare delivery and public health preparedness.

The Executive Secretary of the Country Coordinating Mechanism Nigeria, Tajudeen Ibrahim, said the programme demonstrated the value of strong partnerships and local ownership in responding to health emergencies.

“The C19RM grant demonstrated the power of effective partnership, positioning, coordination, engagement, oversight and country ownership in responding to a public health emergency,” Ibrahim said.

He noted that beyond supporting Nigeria’s immediate response to COVID-19, the investments had strengthened critical health systems and expanded the country’s preparedness and response capacity for future pandemics and disease outbreaks.

“These investments have strengthened critical health systems and facilitated pandemic preparedness and response capacities that will continue to benefit the country for years to come. As we close this chapter, our focus must remain on sustaining these gains and leveraging the lessons learned to build a more resilient health system for all Nigerians,” he added.

Stakeholders also stressed that the close-out meeting was not only an opportunity to reflect on achievements recorded under the programme but also a call to deepen commitments towards building a stronger and more resilient healthcare system capable of responding effectively to future public health emergencies.

The event featured presentations from implementing agencies and partners, panel discussions, stakeholder reflections and the premiere of documentary and storytelling products capturing the impact of the intervention on communities across the country.

The Global Fund established the COVID-19 Response Mechanism in 2020 to help countries address the health, social and economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic while protecting essential health services and preserving progress made against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.

Nigeria was among the countries that benefited from the intervention, receiving support to strengthen testing and laboratory capacity, improve oxygen supply systems, enhance disease surveillance, reinforce emergency preparedness and build the capacity of health workers.

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The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has said African countries are studying its local content model to set up theirs.

The board stated this recently while hosting a delegation from the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation on a benchmarking and knowledge-sharing visit aimed at deepening Ghana’s understanding of Nigeria’s local content development framework.

The delegation, led by the Director of Corporate Affairs at GNPC, Mr Eric Pwadura, was received at the NCDMB headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

In a release, the General Manager, Corporate Communications Division of NCDMB, Dr Obinna Ezeobi, said Nigeria and Ghana had enjoyed long-standing cooperation in the energy sector and that the board had continued to support peer learning across Africa.

Welcoming the team, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Felix Ogbe, said Africa’s hydrocarbon endowment places a responsibility on producing countries to prioritise local content development and reduce dependence on foreign technology.

He said, “Africa has evolved over the last three to four decades, growing its hydrocarbon resources to over 120 billion barrels of crude oil reserves and 800 trillion standard cubic feet of gas, which constitute over 10 per cent of hydrocarbon resources globally.”

Ogbe added that it was in the national interest of producing countries to build internal capacity for exploration and production, stressing the need for a shift away from over-reliance on external expertise.

Represented by the Director, Corporate Services of NCDMB, Dr Abdulmalik Halilu, Ogbe said Africa’s youth population remained a key advantage for industrial development if properly equipped with relevant skills.

He maintained that the board had evolved from policy directives under the defunct Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Local Content Division into a full-fledged institution.

“We have evolved from a policy to an institution,” he enthused, adding, “NCDMB is the sole agency responsible for local content” in Nigeria.

He disclosed that the board’s Nigerian Content 10-Year Strategic Roadmap was structured around five strategic pillars, including technical capability development, compliance and enforcement, enabling business environment, organisational capability, and sectoral and regional markets, alongside key enablers such as funding and regulatory support.

On capacity development, Ogbe highlighted the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund, which is administered through the Bank of Industry and the Nigerian Export-Import Bank, to provide single-digit loans to indigenous service companies.

“What we have done is to create that access to make the local service companies competitive,” he explained, noting that the initiative had enabled indigenous firms to acquire critical assets such as marine vessels.

He further noted that the board promotes utilisation of built capacity through a First Consideration policy for Nigerian companies with proven capability.

He added, “Local content does not compromise standards…it does not mean you have African spec or European spec,” adding, “It’s one global spec.”

Ghana’s Pwadura, in his remarks, expressed appreciation for the opportunity to learn from Nigeria’s experience, noting that Ghana’s current structure remains less developed.

“Even though we have the legislation guiding local content, we have not had the benefit of having a robust local content environment like you have. If we take our organisation (Ghana National Petroleum Corporation), for example, what we have is a local content unit. That’s currently the structure that we have. We want to have a deeper understanding of your local content development programme,” he said.

Earlier in his opening remarks, Ezeobi noted that NCDMB had maintained strong partnerships with several African institutions, including memoranda of understanding with Ghana’s Petroleum Commission and Senegal’s ST-CNSCL, as well as agencies in Mozambique, Angola and Namibia.

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