Prosper Okonkwo, Chief Executive Officer of APIN Public Health Initiatives, on Friday said donor funding cuts present an opportunity for Nigeria to mobilise domestic resources and strengthen the sustainability of its public health response.
Speaking in Abuja during a press briefing and activities marking APIN’s 25th anniversary, Okonkwo said Nigeria had demonstrated in the past that it could pull resources together to address a health crisis.
“When they say funding cut, as a nation, why does it seem to be like a challenge? Let’s begin to see it as an opportunity,” he said.
“One of the reasons why people do not want to support Nigeria is that they know that there are some people who have resources in this country that is more than what they are bringing,” he added.
Okonkwo pointed to efforts by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS to mobilise resources and recalled how the private sector coalition, CACCOVID, came together during the COVID-19 pandemic to support the national response.
