By Blessing Chinagorom
United States Agency of International Development (USAID) has secured critical external investments to accelerate efforts and expand partnerships with key partner governments to strengthen global efforts of fighting tuberculosis.
According to the statement released by the Agency stating that in September 2023, USAID announced Support Wide-Scale Interventions to Find TB, a program to provide additional funding to up to two countries.
While on Thursday, USAID announced that it will partner with the Philippines Department of Health and Ethiopia Ministry of Health with the Philippines government committed to providing $11 million in new, annual TB funding through 2027.
It further stated that USAID will also provide the Philippines with $9 million in additional FY 2023 funds, subject to Congressional notification, adding that Ethiopian govt has committed to providing $6 million in new, annual TB funding through 2027.
USAID will provide Ethiopia with $6 million in additional FY 2023 funds, subject to Congressional notification. Additionally, author and TB advocate John Green and his family announced they will donate additional $1 million to the Philippines TB efforts this year, with the potential for the same level of funding annually through 2027.
“Alongside USAID investments, these external investments, totaling up to $72 million over four years, will be used to roll out TB diagnosis and treatment innovations at the community and primary health care levels”.
Additionally, through a donation program announced during the 2023 United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week, USAID committed to provide TB preventive therapy to an initial 1.3 million people in 11 countries – Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Indonesia, the Kyrgyz Republic, Nigeria, the Philippines, Tajikistan, Uganda, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe.
USAID also announced that Chemical Process Technologies in South Africa was selected for the technology transfer to produce a more efficient and less expensive active pharmaceutical ingredient in rifapentine, a key TB prevention drug.
“As the first active pharmaceutical ingredient produced with continuous manufacturing processes in South Africa, the ground- breaking activity will expedite preventive therapy access across the continent”.
As the world’s largest bilateral donor leading the fight to end TB, USAID provided $4.7bn in assistance to combat TB since 2000, and together with partners, saved more than 75m lives. While USAID planned to invest $394.5 million in FY 2023 resources, illustrating the Agency’s steadfast commitment to ending TB globally.
