Abia State to receive $250m health grant from World Bank

By Damilare Adeleye

The Abia State Government is set to benefit from a World Bank $250 million health security grant aimed at strengthening disease preparedness, emergency response, and healthcare delivery in Nigeria.

This was made known on Monday by the Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, while briefing journalists on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Alex Otti.

He explained that the inclusion of the state in the programme was due to ongoing reforms in the health sector, noting that the interventions had positioned Abia as one of the beneficiary states under the World Bank-backed initiative.

“Abia State Government has been cleared by the World Bank to benefit from a $250 million grant for health security in the country. The ongoing reforms in the health sector helped to qualify the state as one of the beneficiaries,” he disclosed.

This development comes days after Governor Otti assured the World Bank Public Health Finance Team of the state’s readiness to pay the required $200,000 counterpart fund and meet other obligations tied to the programme.

Kanu further said the Federal Government’s Rural Emergency Services and Maternal Transport Programme has been adopted in the state to strengthen emergency referrals and reduce maternal and child mortality.

The commissioner added that the 2026 Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas Medical Mission will begin in the state, targeting about 1,500 consultations and 100 specialised surgeries.

He also noted that a World Bank review team recently assessed the state’s healthcare financing systems, particularly at the primary care level, and commended ongoing reforms.Kanu further stated that no major public health threats, including Lassa fever, mpox, diphtheria, yellow fever, or cholera, were recorded during the period.