Nigeria leads Africa as largest nation to sign new US healthcare deal

Nigeria has entered into a new healthcare partnership with the United States aimed at strengthening the country’s health system under a revised global health framework.

The agreement, which will run for five years, is designed to replace earlier health support arrangements under the now-dissolved United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Under the deal, Nigeria is expected to mobilise $2.9 billion to improve priority health services, while the US will contribute $2 billion in funding and technical support.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Friday in Abuja by Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, and the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills Jr.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Prof. Pate said the agreement marks an important step in deepening cooperation between both countries to strengthen health security and system resilience.

“This is a milestone in a journey that began several months ago with renewed engagement and negotiations between the Nigerian and United States governments,” he said.

Ambassador Mills described the MoU as a reaffirmation of the long-standing health partnership between Nigeria and the US, noting that the new framework aims to deliver sustainable and measurable outcomes.

“This agreement builds on a strong foundation and deepens our collaboration, ensuring that our joint investments will have lasting impact,” he said.

The partnership places significant emphasis on support for faith-based healthcare providers, including Christian-run facilities, despite Nigeria having a slight Muslim majority population.

Nigeria is among at least nine African countries entering similar agreements with the United States following funding cuts that weakened health systems previously supported by USAID.

Other countries that have signed comparable deals include Rwanda, Uganda and Eswatini.

According to the Washington-based Center for Global Development, the new agreements reflect reduced US health spending, increased co-financing requirements, and a shift toward direct government-to-government assistance.

The think tank noted that annual US health funding under the new framework is about 49 per cent lower than 2024 levels.