• Nigeria allocates $346 million domestic funding for 2026 health priorities

• Introduces free twice-yearly HIV prevention drug lenacapavir rollout

• Tuberculosis cases rise to 440,000 in 2025, officials say

Nigeria’s government has announced an additional $346 million in domestic funding for 2026 to support health priorities, including efforts to combat HIV and tuberculosis.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, March 25, the Ministry of Health said the funding is part of a coordinated effort to improve efficiency, accountability and national ownership of health policy. The move includes structural reforms, notably the creation of the Multisectoral Accountability Framework for Tuberculosis (MAF-TB), aimed at improving monitoring of commitments and performance.

Media Brief
NIGERIA MOVES TO END DONOR DEPENDENCE, ROLLS OUT NEW HIV PREVENTION TOOL

Abuja, Nigeria | March 24, 2026 – Nigeria has taken a decisive step toward health sector independence, announcing a major shift to domestic financing alongside the rollout of a breakthrough HIV… pic.twitter.com/cB2mSEsehM

— Federal Ministry of Health, NIGERIA (@Fmohnigeria) March 25, 2026

Nigeria has also introduced a new HIV prevention tool with the rollout of lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injectable treatment. Already deployed in several states, the drug will be provided free of charge to strengthen prevention efforts, particularly among those most at risk.

“By aligning resources across all levels of government and working with partners in a coordinated manner, we are building a system that is efficient, effective, and capable of ending TB and HIV,” Health Minister Muhammad Pate said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says Nigeria is among the countries with the highest tuberculosis burden, and that HIV/TB co-infection remains a major public health challenge. The agency recommends scaling up active case-finding, expanding access to rapid testing and ensuring uninterrupted access to antiretroviral and tuberculosis treatments.

Nigeria launched a nationwide tuberculosis screening campaign in 2023 across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. More than 440,000 cases were detected in 2025, up from about 138,000 in 2020. The treatment success rate stands at 94%, according to official data.

Charlène N’dimon