Nigeria has secured a $600,000 relief fund from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support flood relief efforts in Borno State and health sector reforms. The Foundation also pledged an additional $5 million grant for agricultural development, specifically to boost the economics of industrial cassava production.
These commitments were made during a meeting between Vice President Kashim Shettima and the Foundation’s Global Development Programme led by Dr. Christopher Elias, held on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Vice President Shettima reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to addressing critical national issues, particularly malnutrition, health reforms, and food security. He highlighted the importance of the Cassava Accelerator Programme, emphasizing its economic potential, and pledged swift action on import permits for certified seeds under the Telemaze programme.
Dr. Elias, President of the Global Development Programme, expressed the Foundation's concern over the severe flooding in Borno and its support for Nigeria's flood relief efforts. He also praised the Nigerian government's commitment to eliminating variant polioviruses by the end of the year.
In addition, Rodger Voorhies, President of the Global Growth & Opportunity Division, outlined plans to scale up drought-tolerant maize production in Nigeria and emphasized the multi-billion-dollar potential of industrial cassava. He also requested import permits for 5,000 metric tons of certified maize seeds to support Nigeria's agricultural development.
This collaboration reaffirms Nigeria’s focus on health, nutrition, and agricultural transformation, with the support of international partners like the Gates Foundation.
