The World Bank has approved the sum of $114.28 million to aid Nigeria in the prevention, detection and response to the threat posed by COVID-19, with a specific focus on state-level responses.
The amount includes $100 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA) and $14.28 million grant from the Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility, a statement from the bank on Friday said.
The bank said that the Federal Government would provide grants to thirty-six states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) through the COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Project (CoPREP).
It also said that the project would serve as immediate support to stop local transmission and limit the spread of COVID—19 through containment and mitigation strategies.
World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Mr Shubham Chaudhuri, said:
Nigeria has ramped up its efforts to contain the COVID -19 outbreak, but more needs to be done at the state level, which is at the frontline of the response.
The project will provide the states with much needed direct technical and fiscal support to strengthen their position in combating the pandemic.
Chaudhuri added that the project would finance federal procurement of medical equipment, laboratory tests and medicines to be distributed to the states based on their needs.
Furthermore, he said that all 36 states had incident action plans cleared by the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and funds had been disbursed to 23 states.
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According to the World Bank, CoPREP would finance further support to all states and the FCT through the NCDC to implement their COVID-19 Incident Action Plans.
The World Bank representative also stated:
Specifically, this includes: the operationalisation of 37 Emergency Operations Centers; training of 30,000 healthcare workers in infection prevention and control; support for emergency prioritised water sanitation and hygiene activities; and strengthening of risk assessment and community and event-based surveillance.
Provision of on-time data to inform the response and mitigation activities; additional support to laboratories for early detection and confirmation; equipping and renovating isolation and treatment centers including community support centers; and improving in patient transfer systems through financing of ambulances and training as needed.
It further stated that grants to states would be conditional on states adopting COVID-19 response strategies in line with the Federal Government guidelines and strategies.
Chaudhuri added:
CoPREP will enhance the institutional and operational capacity for disease detection through provision of technical expertise, coordination support, detection, diagnosis and case management efforts in all states and the FCT as per the WHO guidelines in the Strategic Response Plan.
It will also help the government mobilise surge response capacity through trained and well-equipped frontline healthcare workers and strengthen the public health care network for future health emergencies.