D-8 HSP Signs Country Partnership Agreement
The year started on a good note for the program office, following the Secretary-General, Ambassador Dato’ Ku Jaafar Ku Shaari’s 3-day working visit on January 19th – 21st, 2020. The visit to the Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, high-level sectors like the Ministries of Industry, Trade and Investment, Health and Foreign Affairs, and meetings further consolidated the partnership with ECOWAS, Islamic Development Bank, PPFN, and Jaiz Bank in addition to providing a platform for the smooth operation of the Health and Social Protection program in the year under review.
The visit to the Vice President helped to position the D-8 HSP as a highly valued partner in Nigeria. There is a sense of ownership and membership by the Nigerian government, which contributed to the success of key activities carried out in 2020. Since the visit, D-8 HSP has become more visible, leading to several media interviews about the D-8 and its vision, Global Director Dr. Ado Muhammed has made key appearances in various media platforms to speak on topics around Global cooperation for health, innovative and sustainable financing, trade-in health, health interventions in low and middle-income countries, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The visit received massive media coverage of the activities during the 3 days (January 19th- 21st) of the Secretary General’s stay in Nigeria.
Beyond the euphoria of the Secretary General’s visit, the official signing of the Country Partnership Agreement was a validation to commence activities in earnest. The Nigerian President, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, represented by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada, officially approved the operations of the D-8 HSP in Nigeria on the 21st of January 2020. The occasion was witnessed by the D-8 countries’ ambassadors in Nigeria, development partners like the World Health Organization, the Islamic Development Bank, and the media. It was a memorable event and a key achievement of the year for the entire D-8 organization, and the HSP team.