The United States government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has approved $92.73 million as additional developmental assistance to Nigeria.
The new fund was to support the five-year $2.3 billion agreement signed with the Nigerian government in 2015 and the intervention brought the total development assistance sum so far provided to $474.74 million.
The USAID mission d irector, Michael Harvey, who confirmed this, noted that the funds would continue to help Nigeria reduce extreme poverty in a more stable democratic society.
According to him, it will equally stimulate inclusive economic growth, promote a healthier, more-educated population as well as strengthen good governance.
In an effort to align Nigeria’s development plan with sector-specific strategies, theUSAID collaborated with the Nigerian Ministry of Budget and National Planning; the Nigerian ministries of health, agriculture, power and education as well as state-level government counterparts to structure the agreement, which is in place until 2020.
He said that in addition to the developmental funding, the United States provides humanitarian assistance to people affected in the ongoing conflict and severe food insecurity in Nigeria and throughout the Lake Chad Basin.
According to him, the United States has provided more than $366 million in humanitarian assistance since 2015 and continues to be the single largest bilateral humanitarian donor to the region.