…As US, FG seal landmark $5.1bn pact
The United States (U.S) and Nigeria have signed a landmark five-year bilateral health cooperation agreement worth $5.1 billion (£4bn), with Washington contributing nearly £1.6bn ($2.1bn) and Abuja committing about £2.2bn ($3bn) in new domestic health spending—the largest co-investment under President Donald Trump’s ‘America First Global Health Strategy’ to date.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed in December, is aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare system, reducing preventable deaths, and combating HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, polio, and maternal and child mortality. Nigeria currently bears about 30% of the global malaria burden, and ranks among countries with the highest maternal and child death rates worldwide.
However, US officials confirmed that the agreement was negotiated alongside Nigerian government reforms prioritising the protection of Christian communities from violence. The US State Department said the deal reflects Washington’s expectation that Nigeria will take firmer steps to safeguard Christian populations facing attacks from insurgents, bandits, and extremist groups.
As part of the package, about $200 million has been earmarked for more than 900 Christian faith-based healthcare facilities across Nigeria. Though these facilities account for roughly 10% of healthcare providers, they serve over 30% of Nigeria’s estimated 230 million people, particularly in remote and underserved communities.
The deal follows a tense diplomatic exchange earlier this year, when President Trump accused Nigeria of failing to stop what he described as widespread persecution of Christians and warned that the United States could intervene forcefully.
Nigerian authorities initially rejected the claim, insisting that insecurity affects both Christians and Muslims alike.
However, Nigeria’s Information Minister, Mohammed Idris, said the dispute had since been resolved. “The recent diplomatic spat with the United States has been largely resolved through a firm, respectful engagement culminating in a strengthened partnership between America and Nigeria”, he stated.
The agreement also reflects a broader shift in US foreign aid policy under Trump. Washington has dismantled USAID and cut back funding to major global health organisations, opting instead for direct bilateral deals with African governments. The administration argues that too much aid is lost to overheads and intermediaries, with only a fraction reaching frontline services.
Nigeria joins Kenya, Uganda, Lesotho, and Eswatini as African countries that have signed similar health compacts with the US.
In a further boost welcomed by Christian groups, Nigerian authorities announced that all children abducted last month from St Mary’s Catholic co-educational boarding school in Niger State have now been freed, bringing relief after a wave of mass kidnappings that revived memories of the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls abduction.
A UN source confirmed that all those taken during the attack appear to have been released, marking a positive development amid continuing security concerns.
