To support activities at combating COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, the donor community has raised about $6 billion in support of CSOs, media, and government agencies. This is according to checks by Dataphyte.
International donors and funders such as USAID, EU, OSIWA, Ford Foundation, and others extended the funding to Nigeria on COVID-19 related cases. Some also provide support in the form of materials and campaigns to strengthen Nigeria’s COVID-19 response. For instance, Ford Foundation donated vehicles to Lagos state government to ease contact tracing in the fight against COVID-19.
Recently, the foundation raised a $1 billion Social Bond in the United States to help support and strengthen nonprofit organizations hit hard by COVID-19 pandemic. Part of the fund may come to Nigeria as the foundation supports NGOs and CSOs in the country. The donors are popular international organisations directly or indirectly operating in Nigeria as funders to development causes.
Apart from the various fundings, there is also a Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) Relief Fund domiciled at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The Federal Government also opened designated banks for individuals to make donations to the fight against COVID-19. The government raked in N697.54 million in April 2020. It has not published details for May and June.
COVID-19 Funding from Donor Community
| Donors | COVID-19 Funding/Donation | |
| 1 | World Bank, IMF and AfDB | $5.2 billion |
| 2. | USAID | $21.4 million |
| 3. | EU | €50m ($56.1 million) |
| 4 | OSIWA | N165 million ($425.806) |
| 5 | Ford Foundation | Vehicles to Lagos Govt. |
| 6 | UNDP Nigeria | Medical supplies for COVID-19 fight |
Breakdown of the donors
OSIWA – N165 million ($425.806)
The Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) has provided support to partners, public institutions, the media, and civil society groups. Some of its funds were also re-directed to cater for COVID-19 related responses.
At the June edition of Dataphyte Webinar Series, Mr. Jude Ilo, the Country Director of OSIWA, said the principle behind the support is to ensure that organisations can survive and no one is left behind.
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) – $21.4 million
The United States agency has provided funding for the prevention and mitigation of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Nigeria. A statement by the Mission Office in Nigeria said about $18 million deployed to humanitarian assistance for refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and their host communities. The other part of the funding will go into supporting communication, campaigns, and door-to-door awareness in the Northeast to prevent outbreaks.
European Union (EU) – €50m ($56.1 million)
The contribution is for the implementation of a coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. According to the EU, the intervention focuses on 10 key pillars of the National COVID-19 Response Plan. These are coordination, socio-economic measures, such as cash transfers or food distribution to vulnerable groups, scaling up surveillance, testing, isolation, contact tracing, personal protection equipment for medical staff, disinfectants for medical facilities, risk communication, community engagement, clinical management of the critically unwell COVID-19 patients.
World Bank/IMF/AfDB – $5.2 billion
The World Bank Group, International Monetary Fund, and African Development Bank collaborated to strengthen COVID-19 response in Nigeria with $5.2 billion.
Ford Foundation – Vehicles for contact tracing
The Ford Foundation donated vehicles to Lagos state government. The support is to do contact tracing of at least 6000 persons ‘exposed’ to COVID-19.
UNDP Nigeria – One UN COVID-19 Basket Fund
The EU and United Nation through its ONE UN COVID19 Basket Fund provided vital medical supplies to help the fight against the #COVID19 pandemic in Nigeria.