By RismadarVoice Media
December 21, 2025
The United States America and Nigeria have signed a five-year bilateral health agreement, aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s health system, with a particular focus on expanding faith-based healthcare services.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), announced on Saturday by the US Department of State, commits nearly $2.1 billion in American funding to support prevention and treatment programmes for HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, maternal and child health, polio. Nigeria, in turn, is expected to increase its domestic health spending by almost $3 billion over the life of the agreement.
According to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Thomas Pigott, Nigeria’s contribution represents “the largest co-investment any country has made to date under the America First Global Health Strategy.”
“Today, the United States Department of State signed a five-year bilateral health Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Republic of Nigeria to strengthen Nigeria’s health system, with a strong emphasis on promoting Christian faith-based healthcare providers,” the statement read.
Under the agreement, dedicated funding will be channelled towards Christian healthcare facilities, particularly those offering integrated services for infectious diseases as well as maternal, child health.
The MOU is tied to recent reforms by the Nigerian government, aimed at protecting Christian communities from violence.
“Nigeria’s 900 faith-based clinics and hospitals currently serve more than 30 per cent of Nigerians.
Investments in these facilities are uniquely positioned to complement public-run facilities and strengthen Nigeria’s overall health infrastructure,” the statement added.
The Department of State emphasized that US assistance under the agreement remains subject to review, with the President and Secretary of State retaining the authority to pause or terminate programme that do not align with the national interest.
The signing comes amid heightened US scrutiny of Nigeria, including recent travel restrictions imposed under the Donald Trump administration over national security and visa overstay concerns.
The America First Global Health Strategy, released in September 2025, shifts US global health policy towards bilateral agreements, greater partner-country co-investment, and expanded efforts to combat priority diseases while strengthening national health systems.
