CSOs Galvanise More Investment In Health Sector

Civil Society groups in Nigeria have converged to discuss and deliberate on strategies to hold the Federal Government accountable for its investment in the health sector as well as its level of transparency in the funds earmarked for the sector.

The groups comprising majorly of Connected Development [CODE] and BudgIT with support from Conrad Hilton Foundation and Skoll Foundation are collaborating to implement the second leg of the project “Covid-19 Transparency and Accountability Project (CTAP) 2”, that kicked off 18 months ago.

The aim of the project is to track all funds and donations made by individuals, corporate bodies, and international donors in support of the federal government’s Covid-19 intervention and responses targeted at mitigating the impact of the pandemic on its citizens while ensuring adequate health care provisions are available to combat the virus.

The discussion which is currently ongoing at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, is demanding for more prioritization of the health sector in the budget process because “it is cheaper to invest in preparedness than in response” to another outbreak.

At the end of the event, stakeholders aim to build a momentum for health care accountability; create strategies for healthcare improvement and galvanize political will at the federal and state level.