In a ceremony at the Kaduna State Government House, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, chair of the Dangote Foundation; Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; and U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, joined governors from Kaduna, Sokoto, Yobe, and Borno to launch an ambitious new partnership committing political and financial resources to strengthen and sustain routine immunization programs that will save more lives and keep Nigeria polio-free. The witnessing of new Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) served as an opportunity to review successes and lessons learned from existing programs in Kano and Bauchi states. To extend these efforts, the executive governor of Kano State signed a fourth-year extension to the state’s existing MOU.Professor I.F Adewole, Nigeria’s health minister, congratulated the states and partners for making a significant investment in immunization. “These are tough financial times in Nigeria, but the health of children cannot wait. The country has an ambitious plan to introduce new life-saving vaccines over the next several years, and today’s commitments will ensure we can get those vaccines to the children who need them most.”Through the MOUs, the governors commit to effective governance, leadership, and financial accountability to reduce child illness and death from diseases such as measles, pertussis, and hepatitis through increased routine immunization in their respective states.
