USAID: Nigeria working to ensure self-reliance for healthcare, says Pate

Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, has expressed confidence in Nigeria’s ability to sustain its healthcare system independently, in response to the recent suspension of U.S. foreign aid by the Donald Trump administration.

To this end, Nigerian lawmakers have proactively approved an additional $200 million for the nation’s health sector in the 2025 budget, AP News reports on Friday.

Meanwhile, Pate emphasised the country’s commitment to taking primary responsibility for the health of its population, highlighting ongoing efforts to reduce dependency on external assistance.

This move, he said, aims to mitigate the impact of the funding shortfall from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which has been a significant contributor to Nigeria’s health initiatives.

He disclosed this in a Channels TV interview, a snippet of which was shared on its X account on Friday.

“For us, we are not complaining; we are full of appreciation to the US government for the contribution they’ve made. The American people have contributed to taking care of over 1.3 million Nigerians with ante-retroviral therapies, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal, and child health.

“The change in US government policy is the change of US government policy. That is the determination of the American people. We can’t complain. What we have determined is that we are primarily responsible for the health of our population,” Pate said.

The minister asserted that Nigeria intends to reduce reliance on external aid, particularly in light of the U.S. government’s transition.

While acknowledging past support, the minister explored alternative ways to sustain the Nigeria-U.S. partnership, including assessing the financial implications of absorbing externally funded initiatives into the public sector.

“We are going to work towards exiting the dependency on external assistance, particularly in view of the transition that the US government has made.

“While appreciating what the US has done, we know that there may be other ways that the partnership between Nigeria and the US government will continue.

“We have spent time analysing the quantum and the support that has been provided outside government and to do a bottom-of-costing if we are to take that as the public sector.

“We have now completed our assessment of what it would take to address HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria. As you may recall, during the Federal Executive Council meeting, President Bola Tinubu established a cabinet committee—including the Minister of Finance, Budget, myself, the President, the Minister of State for Defence, and the Governors’ Forum—to strategise on this transition,” he further stated.

Consequently, he admitted that for Nigeria to build a sustainable future, the nation must take ownership of her challenges and develop strategies that ensure self-reliance, particularly in critical areas of need.

“As a responsible government, we recognise this as our challenge, affecting our population, and we must ensure we do not lose ground.

“We have evaluated the current situation and determined the necessary quantum of resources.

“Our next step is to identify funding sources to procure these commodities in a way that incentivises producers to invest and manufacture them here in Nigeria.

“This is the key to long-term sustainability—developing a supply chain that aligns with our local context.

“Even with significantly less support than what we receive from the United States, we must find a way to sustain our own population. We may be a poor country, but we are a capable one,” he concluded.