World Bank Awards Nigeria, Zambia Grants to Fight HIV/AIDS

The World Bank will grant $90.3 million to Nigeria to combat HIV/AIDS in 18 of its 36 states, according to local media, Xinhua News reports. The states that will benefit from the grant have not yet been named, but Ibironke Akinsete, chair of the National Action Committee on AIDS, said awards would be determined based on the states' HIV/AIDS prevalence rates and states' "willingness and readiness" to use their own funds to fight the disease. Nigeria is also receiving funds from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria for several projects, including one that works to prevent vertical HIV transmission. Nearly 6% of the Nigerian population is HIV-positive (Xinhua News, 5/3). The World Bank also has announced $42 million to go to Zambia to be used in part to fight HIV/AIDS in the country, Agence France-Presse reports. According to a Ministry of Health spokesperson, the funding will be used to buy rural health kits and to provide antiretroviral drugs for those who cannot afford them. One in five Zambians is estimated to be HIV-positive (Agence France-Presse, 5/6).