USAID signs MoU to improve primary education in Sokoto.

The U.S. government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Sokoto state to support and improve the education sector.

 

The five-year MoU will be facilitated through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

 

The MOU will see the U.S. support Sokoto state government’s goals and targets in its education sector strategic plans and also the establishment of a preliminary plan for joint monitoring and evaluation of progress.

 

“The United States commends Sokoto State for its extraordinary efforts to provide greater learning opportunities for its children. This MOU will expand the partnership between USAID and Sokoto State to improve primary education in Sokoto,” said Michael Harvey, USAID mission director.

 

The USAID is already backing the Northern Education Initiative Plus and the Leadership, Empowerment, Advocacy and Development.

 

The aim of both programmes is to build state and local government capacity and systems that will teach approximately 2 million primary school children how to read and allow nearly 500,000 children the opportunity to attend classes in community-based learning centers by the year 2020.

Nigerian doctors treating ailing citizens for malaria without test – USAID

United States Government, Monday, accused medical practitioners in the country of treating ailing Nigerians for malaria without conducting required test on them.

The US, through the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, also condemned production of Chloroquine in the country for the treatment of malaria.

USAID Country Director, Michael Harvey, stated this at the launch of Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey report in Abuja.

Harvey said despite millions of dollars spent on the disease in the country, the nation had remained too endemic with the condition, even on the continent where other smaller nations had contained it.

Nigeria’s Malaria elimination programme is coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Health through the National Malaria Elimination Programme, NMEP. The organisation (including other parastatals in the Federal Ministry of Health) was recently indicted by the Global Fund for grossly mismanaging funds released for eradicating malaria in the country.

Though President Buhari ordered the Economic and Financial Commission, EFCC, to probe the alleged corruption about five months ago, findings of the 2016commission have not been made public.

Harvey said at the launch of the survey: “What is striking is that there continues to be imported nets, and we do yet have an industry in Nigeria that is producing them at a cost Nigerians can afford. What is very clear from the report however is that there are some immediate to-do in our action list, first people are testing, to see if a fever is malaria.

“And, this is something that should be doable since affordable test kits are readily available either through the public sector or private sector at an affordable cost. Too many medical professionals are still treating without testing and this is easy to fix, but the men and women need to be taught about changing that culture in the Nigerian medical professional.

“Second, we are not treating malaria proper. I am surprise to find out when you travel around Nigeria Chloroquine is readily available and too readily prescribed as a treatment for malaria. Worst, this is actually a major public policy that we have to get on top of. We are still producing Chloroquine in Nigeria, a drug that has no beneficial use either for malaria or any other use.

We have some challenges, and for those who are in the front lines of providing health care to the poorest, and it is always important to bear the greatest burden. We must get on top of these short comings.”

US spends $100m on treatment of malaria, others in Nigeria

This year alone, the United States government has spent over $100m on the treatment of Neglected Tropical Diseases in Nigeria, the Director of USAID Mission in Nigeria, Michael Harvey, has said.

According to him, $6bn which was sourced from over 40 organisations has been spent on medications for the treatment of some diseases around the world, including Nigeria.

Among the diseases on which the $100m was spent are malaria, elephantiasis (a parasitic infection spread by some mosquitoes), river blindness (due to bites from infected black fly) and helminthiasis (caused by certain tiny worms).

Others are bilharzia, also caused by tiny worms found in dirty and stagnant water; as well as trachoma, a blinding disease.

He said that the fight against the different diseases? in Nigeria has so far achieved over 60 per cent success, alongside other innovative methods which have been initiated to fight the NTDs such as preventive medicines.

“The US government has committed $100m to fighting diseases in Nigeria in 2016 and so far, about 40 organisations, businesses ?and partners all over the world have committed over $6bn on medications across the world,” Harvey stated.

The CEO/President of the Carter Centre, Ambassador Mary Ann Peters, in her speech, said Nigeria was selected out of the 14 countries because of its populous size in Africa and the fact that it is most affected by all the diseases.

“Nigeria is the most affected of all the NTDs, hence the choice of Carter Centre. In stemming the tide of the diseases, 42 per cent of drugs and medications has been distributed in Nigeria and the treatments were delivered in about 20,000 villages,” she stated.

The Carter Centre championed the eradication of guinea worm in Nigeria towards the free certification from the diseases in 2013.

The organisation has pledged to continue its support towards the eradication of the NTDs and for which eight states have so far benefitted.

US to investigate illicit diversion of USAID-funded malaria products, funds.

The United States government yesterday said it would intensify investigation in the alleged diversion of USAID-funded malaria programmes and illicit sale of malaria products it has funded in Nigeria so far.

Head of Investigation, Office of the Inspector General, USAID, Jonathan Schofield, told journalists in Abuja at the relaunch of Make A Difference (MAD) malaria hotline that the investigation bureau entrusted with the task of probing such illicit activities relating to malaria programmes found some ‘troubling patterns’ in Nigeria.

He explained that the probe will only be restricted to US funded projects and will be in collaboration with Nigerian law enforcement agencies.

Jonathan said: “The US funded malaria programme is a specific tailored initiative we are now doing. We are working in many other countries around the world to look at illicit activities, including diversion, kick backs, including embezzlement of health programmes funds.

“There are patterns that we see in Nigeria that are troubling, we don’t know how deep they are, but with this project, we will focus on those patterns,” he said.

He stated that probe would extend to “The global funding to Nigeria given that one third of the global fund budget is contributed by the US government.

Jonathan informed journalists that though “the global fund focus on audit” In their investigation, he added that, “what we (Office of the Inspector General, USAID, offer is the law enforcement component.”

The MAD programme also included rewarding Nigerian whistleblowers who have vital and concrete information and facts about diversion of malaria products and funds to contact US authorities through 8099937319.

Jonathan explained that “the main objective is to obtain actionable information concerning their transmitted, resale or falsification of anti-malaria drugs and commodities within USAID President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) funded countries.

Also speaking, National Coordinator of the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), Dr. Bala Muhammed, represented by a Director in the agency, Dr Godwin Ntadom, stated that “part of the problems we face in the fight against malaria is in the quality of medicines used in the treatment of Malaria in Nigeria.

“The continued availability of counterfeit impedes global efforts in the fight against malaria and as such results in treatment failure and even death,” Ntadom stated.