The United States and Nigeria have entered into a major five-year bilateral agreement valued at approximately $2.1 billion, aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s health care system and addressing some of the country’s most pressing public health challenges. The deal, announced in Washington on Saturday, signals a renewed phase of engagement between both countries, particularly at a time when diplomatic relations have drawn global attention following recent remarks by President Donald Trump on security and religious violence in Nigeria.
Under the terms of the agreement, the United States will provide close to $2.1 billion in health-related assistance to support efforts to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and polio, while also improving maternal and child health services across Nigeria. A spokesperson for the US State Department said the funding would be deployed over a five-year period as part of a broader strategy to reinforce Nigeria’s health infrastructure and service delivery systems.
In return, Nigeria has pledged to significantly scale up its own investment in the health sector, committing nearly $3 billion in additional national health spending during the same timeframe. According to US officials, the agreement places strong emphasis on supporting Christian faith-based health institutions, which are seen as playing a key role in providing care, especially in underserved communities.
The announcement comes against the backdrop of heightened concern from the Trump administration over religious violence in Nigeria. President Trump recently sparked controversy after suggesting that the United States could consider military action to protect Christians in Nigeria, arguing that Christianity faces serious threats not only there but in other parts of the world. His administration has since redesignated Nigeria as a country of “particular concern” over religious freedom and imposed visa restrictions on Nigerian citizens.
US officials said the health agreement was negotiated alongside reforms by the Nigerian government aimed at improving the protection of Christian communities. Nigeria, however, maintains that it does not condone religious persecution, noting that its prolonged conflict with jihadist groups has affected both Christians and Muslims, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and millions of displaced persons since 2009.
The Nigeria deal follows a similar $2.5 billion health aid agreement signed with Kenya earlier in December, marking a shift in US aid strategy after the Trump administration dismantled USAID and restructured foreign assistance under its “America First” agenda.