The Federal Government, on Wednesday, received $9,261,920 grant from the Canadian government to support the scale-up of COVID-19 vaccine service among high-priority risk groups and to strengthen the health system in Nigeria, IGBERETV reports.

Speaking at the launch of the Canada Global Initiative for Vaccine grant in Abuja, the High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, Jamie Christoff, said the project was another example of Canada’s historical institutional relationship with the WHO to support Nigeria in the critical work for preventing disease and protecting those most at risk.

Christoff said though COVID-19 was no longer a global emergency, it was still important to reinforce public health systems as part of an inclusive and sustainable recovery.

“We must intentionally link up these efforts with routine immunisation and other services. This can help, for example, to reach children who missed routine vaccinations over the pandemic. We know that ultimately, it takes a health system to turn a vaccine into vaccination.”

Christoff further said that “Under CanGIVE, the WHO project will be implemented in seven countries, with Nigeria receiving the greatest share of 9m Canadian dollars. Nigeria was also amongst the first countries to receive COVID-19 vaccine doses from Canada in September of 2021, and I am pleased to be able to continue Canada’s support to Nigeria with this latest project.”

In his address, the World Health Organisation Country Representative Office in Nigeria, Dr Walter Mulombo, said the grant came at the right time to help improve coverage and uptake of the vaccine among the priority populations.

The Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib said since the COVID-19 vaccination programme was launched in Nigeria on March 5, 2021, over 75 per cent of the target population of individuals aged 18 and above had been reached with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.