By Laide Akinboade, Abuja

The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate has stated that Nigeria is actively working to strengthen its health system by leveraging domestic resources.

He affirmed that Nigeria had anticipated a decline in global financial aid even before the U.

Despite the challenges ahead, Prof. Pate expressed heartfelt gratitude to the United States Government for its extensive and generous support over the years; emphasizing, the Nigerian Government holds deep appreciation for the assistance received, which has played a crucial role in advancing the nation’s healthcare landscape.

This was contained in a statement by Tashikalmah Hallah, Special Adviser on Media and External Relations to the Coordinating Minister; the Nigerian government reiterated its commitment to prioritizing health. This focus has led to significant advancements and successes in the healthcare sector, reflecting the government’s determination to improve the well-being of its citizens.

According to Professor Pate, “For the past 20 years or so, thanks to the generosity of the United States government and its people, many countries around the world have benefited from lifesaving interventions that have saved billions of lives from HIV, TB, and malaria.

“For Nigeria, we sincerely appreciate all the support received from the United States. It is unwise for any country to think it can rely entirely on another country for the health and lives of its population.

The direction taken by the U.S. government is understandable, given its current interests, and we respect that. Here in Nigeria, we are focused on rebuilding our health system, strengthening and increasing our domestic resources, and providing services for our citizens. We aim to cooperate with other countries in Africa and around the world to enhance biosecurity and health security while opening up our economy to private-sector investments.

The Coordinating Minister further explained that Nigeria has approved the ratification of the African Medicines Agency Treaty, which positions Nigeria to be part of a larger African market for what is produced locally.

“There are also investment opportunities in health that Americans are welcome to participate in. We have innovations, tools, systems, and technologies that we can trade. We are very open and confident that as the direction of the U.S. government evolves, Nigeria will continue to welcome genuine partnerships with the United States and other countries that share an interest in advancing humanity while respecting each nation’s interests,” Prof. Pate added.