Nigeria - Health Systems Developement Project (Health IV)

The Health Systems Development (Health IV) project is initiated because of the need to quickly restore a minimum level of provision of basic health services in the country. The gravity of the Nigeria's poor health status is reflected in the fact that poverty has spread to all socio-economic groups. In addition, Chronic malnutrition (stunting) afflicts nearly half of the poorest children and roughly a third of the children from the higher income households. The focus of the project is on increasing the coverage of quality primary health care to previously under-served LGAs in twelve Nigerian States. The project should therefore finance only public sector goods and services. Project funds should be used to improve the coverage of quality primary health care through improved community access to basic health services in targeted states. In addition, the project should complement a number of African and international initiatives designed to improve resource mobilization for the health sector such as: the UN Global Funds for Malaria, Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS (GFATM). The project comprises three main components, namely: i) Capacity Strengthening of 35 State Ministries of Health; ii) Support to Primary Health Care in 30 states; and iii) Capacity Strengthening of the Federal Ministry of Health.