The United States has given nearly $42 million in assistance to Nigeria. This includes more than $3.3 million for health assistance and $34 million in humanitarian funding for risk-communications, water and sanitation, infection-prevention, coordination, and emergency food assistance; and more than $4.7 million in MRA humanitarian assistance for vulnerable people.

This was contained in a factsheet released by the American government. It added that on August 11, USAID handed over a donation of 200 ventilators to the Federal Government. 

This assistance joins more than $8.1 billion in total assistance for Nigeria over the past 20 years, including more than $5.2 billion for health.

The factsheet reads: “U.S. Government (USG) has allocated $20.5 billion for the development of vaccines and therapeutics, preparedness efforts, and other foreign assistance. 

Our global efforts build upon decades of U.S. investment in life-saving health and humanitarian assistance, and we continue to ensure that the substantial U.S. funding and scientific efforts remain a central and coordinated part of the worldwide effort against this deadly virus. 

We are achieving real results, helping nations around the world respond to COVID-19 and therein protecting the United States.

“Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the USG has also announced more than $1.6 billion in State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) emergency health, humanitarian, economic, and development assistance aimed at helping governments, international organisations, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) fight the pandemic. 

This funding, provided by U.S. taxpayers, will save lives by improving public health education; protecting healthcare facilities; and increasing laboratory, disease-surveillance, and rapid-response capacity in more than 120 countries.