COVID-19: World Bank approves $114.28m for Nigeria

The World Bank has approved $114.28 million in financing to help
Nigeria prevent, detect and respond to the threat posed by
COVID-19 with a specific focus on state-level responses.
According to a statement from the bank on Friday, the amount
includes $100 million credit from the International Development
Association, IDA, and $14.28 million grant from the Pandemic
Emergency Financing Facility.
It stated that the Federal Government would provide grants to
thirty-six states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, through the
COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Project, CoPREP.
It added that the project would serve as immediate support to
break the chain of COVID-19 local transmission and limit the
spread of coronavirus through containment and mitigation
strategies.
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Shubham Chaudhuri, World Bank Country Director for Nigeria said:
“Nigeria has ramped up its efforts to contain the COVID -19
outbreak, but more needs to be done at the state level, which are at
the frontline of the response.
“The project will provide the states with much needed direct
technical and fiscal support to strengthen their position in
combating the pandemic.”
Chaudhuri added that the project would finance federal
procurements of medical equipment, laboratory tests and
medicines to be distributed to the states based on their needs.
He also said that the project complemented the Second Regional
Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement Project (REDISSE II)
which was already providing short-term emergency support to
implement national and state Incident Action Plans.
Furthermore, he said that all 36 states had incident action plans
cleared by the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and
funds had been disbursed to 23 states.
According to the World Bank, CoPREP would finance further
support to all states and the FCT through the NCDC to implement
their COVID-19 Incident Action Plans.
“Specifically, this includes the operationalisation of 37 Emergency
Operations Centers; training of 30,000 healthcare workers in
infection prevention and control; support for emergency prioritised
water sanitation and hygiene activities; and strengthening of risk
assessment and community and event-based surveillance.”
Others are: “provision of on-time data to inform the response and
mitigation activities; additional support to laboratories for early
detection and confirmation; equipping and renovating isolation and
treatment centres including community support centres; and
improving inpatient transfer systems through the financing of
ambulances and training as needed.”
It further stated that grants to states would be conditional on states
adopting COVID-19 response strategies in line with the Federal
Government guidelines and strategies.
“CoPREP will enhance the institutional and operational capacity for
disease detection through the provision of technical expertise,
coordination support, detection, diagnosis and case management
efforts in all states and the FCT as per the WHO guidelines in the
Strategic Response Plan.
“It will also help the government mobilise surge response capacity
through trained and well-equipped frontline healthcare workers and
strengthen the public health care network for future health
emergencies.”
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