Germany donates €32m to Nigeria for polio

Nigeria and Germany on Thursday signed the Phase V Financing Project Agreement towards the eradication of polio in the country.
Under the agreements, a German Bank, KFW, will support the fight against polio with €32 million for the implementation of the polio programme and another €5 million for security.
The Charge de Affairs at the Germany Embassy, Klemens Moemkes, announced the grant at the agreement signing ceremony held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja.
Moemkes said the assistance was part of his country’s efforts towards ensuring total eradication of polio in the country.
The Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Ado Mohammad, signed on behalf of Nigerian Government while and Dr. Weth Wolfgang, the Programme Manager, KFW Bank, signed for Germany.
Wolfgang said: “We are making available for this phase of the programme a total of €37 million and around €32 million only for the implementation programme and €5 million for security programme.
“During the first three stages of the programme, the main target is children under five years.”
In her remarks, the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, who coordinated the signing, said the agreement is expected to facilitate the release of €35.5 milion by KFW of German to assist Nigeria combat the scourge and transmission of polio as well as bridge the critical resource gap in our fight against polio.
Onwuliri said in 2012, the country also signed a similar agreement to the tune of €17.5 million with the same bank to finance three critical immunization programmes.
The total assistance by Germany through the KFW would exceed €88 million.
The Minister said President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration was very appreciative of the contribution of the Germans.
She also said Nigeria will be receiving the certificate of clean health bill in Guinea worm from the World Health Organisation by December this year.
Mohammed said: “The support today is to the tune of €31.5 million that is to bridge the funding gap we have been talking about. This is the fifth phase of the support we have received from Germany. Between 2003 and 2012, we received to the tune of €40 million for phase1 to 3. For the phase 4, we received €15 million.
“Almost all parts of the country is polio free. Of the 774 LGA, not more than 16 LGAs constitute the major challenge. Also, the Federal Government has budgeted $30 million annually to the fight against polio. The German support is coming to compliment the efforts of the Federal Government.”