FG Targets $1m Domestic Funding To Unlock $7m For Neglected Tropical Diseases

The federal government has called on states to increase domestic financing for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), saying Nigeria needs to mobilise $1 million in local resources to unlock approximately $7 million from the Reaching the Last Mile Fund for the national programme in 2027.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, made the call on Wednesday at the 2026 Annual High-Level Advocacy Meeting on Neglected Tropical Diseases in Abuja.

Speaking on the theme: “Translating Commitments into Budgetary Action,” them minister urged state governments to establish dedicated budget lines for NTDs, increase allocations and ensure timely release of approved funds to sustain progress towards disease elimination.

Represented by the Director of Public Health, Dr Charles Nzelu, the minister said although some states had established dedicated budget lines following previous advocacy engagements, more needed to be done to ensure that budgetary commitments translated into actual interventions.

“A budget line without adequate allocation cannot deliver interventions. An allocation without release cannot reach communities. And released funds must be effectively utilised to produce measurable public health results,” he said.

Salako noted that neglected tropical diseases remained a major public health and development challenge, disproportionately affecting poor, vulnerable and underserved populations.

He said the consequences extended beyond illness and disability to include lost productivity, reduced educational opportunities, stigma and economic hardship, making their elimination essential to achieving equity, reducing poverty and promoting sustainable development.

The minister called on commissioners of health to ensure that NTD interventions were reflected in their states’ health priorities, annual operational plans and 2027 budgets.

He also urged them to engage their counterparts in finance, budget and planning to ensure that approved allocations were released and effectively utilised.

According to him, the federal government cannot eliminate the diseases alone, while development partners cannot be expected to indefinitely shoulder responsibilities that should increasingly be financed through domestic resources.

He, however, stressed that increased government investment would strengthen partnerships and enable Nigeria to make better use of external technical and financial support.

Salako urged states that already had dedicated NTD budget lines to sustain and increase their allocations, while those yet to establish them should use the ongoing 2027 planning and budgeting cycle to do so.

He said the federal government would also strengthen domestic financing, coordination and the allocation of available resources to interventions with the greatest public health impact.

The minister further called for stronger accountability in NTD financing, insisting that the outcome of the meeting should be reflected in state and federal budgets, actual releases and measurable improvements in the lives of affected Nigerians.

He urged participants to develop practical and measurable actions that would enable governments to track how much was budgeted, released and spent on NTD interventions.

Earlier, the National Coordinator for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Adebayo Peters, said Nigeria had recorded progress in reducing the burden of some of the diseases, including trachoma, lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis.

He attributed the progress to government interventions and the contributions of development and implementing partners, but said sustainable domestic financing was necessary to accelerate efforts towards meeting the World Health Organisation’s 2030 targets.

Peters explained that the advocacy meeting was convened to mobilise resources locally by engaging commissioners of health and other stakeholders at the federal and state levels.

He said medicines for NTDs were generally available and provided free to patients, although challenges with clearing some supplies could affect their availability.

On snakebite treatment, the coordinator said the federal government committed more than N450 million in 2025 to procure anti-snake venom, which is provided free to patients.

He added that Kano State had committed more than N100 million towards procuring anti-snake venom, while other states, including Gombe and Bauchi, were also contributing to treatment efforts.

Peters urged snakebite victims to seek prompt medical attention and avoid traditional practices such as using bloodstones or applying tourniquets, which are not recommended treatments.

Also speaking, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Health, Hon. Amos Gwamna Magaji, called for the timely release of budgeted funds for health interventions, particularly vaccine procurement.

He warned that funding delays could leave health facilities without essential vaccines, putting millions of children at risk of missing immunisation.

Magaji also cautioned state governments against diverting healthcare funds to purposes unrelated to approved health programmes, saying the National Assembly would scrutinise how the resources were utilised.

Former chairman of the House Committee on Healthcare Services, Hon. Muhammad Usman, called for stronger primary healthcare services and improved coordination between federal and state governments to tackle NTDs and other public health challenges.

He said strengthening primary healthcare facilities was essential because many diseases, including NTDs, HIV and tuberculosis, could be addressed at the community level.

The two-day meeting seeks to secure sustained NTD budget lines in the 2027 health budgets of federal and state governments, encourage states without dedicated allocations to establish them, and develop monitoring systems to track expenditure.

It will also focus on state-specific action plans, stronger intergovernmental coordination and effective delivery of essential medicines to affected communities.