28 January 2025 
The United States of America has through foreign aids been instrumental in delivering life-saving HIV treatment to over 1 million women and children in Nigeria and screening nearly 20 million Nigerians for tuberculosis
Medical aids from the US initiatives has also significantly impacted Nigeria’s healthcare sector, with over 2.2 million children aged 3 to 59 months receiving malaria prevention medication and 13 million girls aged 9 to 14 vaccinated against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV).
These were part of the U.S. government’s extensive foreign aid programs, which in 2024 alone allocated $370 million for health.
However, President Donald Trump’s 90-day freeze on foreign aid threatens these initiatives which might likely impact negatively on the country’s heath programs
Signing the executive order halts new funding for most foreign assistance programs excluding emergency food aid and military support for key allies.
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The freeze could disrupt critical health programs in Nigeria, including HIV/AIDS and malaria initiatives that millions of patients depend on.
Experts warn that the aid freeze could stall progress in combating epidemics like HIV, as Nigeria struggles to fully assume responsibility for health initiatives previously supported by U.S. funding.
Experts caution that withdrawing aid risks undermining the relationships and goodwill fostered by years of support, which could reshape international dynamics.
With risk of Trump’s stoppage of aids stare at us, there is optimism that Nigeria’s growing pharmaceutical sector would take advantage of the situation to fill the gap.
