The Trump administration has announced that a deal to support Nigeria’s health system will place a “strong emphasis on Christian faith-based health care providers.”
President Trump has said in recent weeks that Christianity in Nigeria faces an existential threat, and he has redesignated the country as a “country of particular concern” over its religious freedom violations.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson said the five-year deal, which was signed this weekend, was negotiated in connection with reforms the Nigerian government has made to prioritize protecting Christian populations from violence.
The spokesperson added that the deal will see the United States commit “nearly $2.1 billion to expand essential preventive and curative services for HIV, TB, malaria, maternal and child health, and polio.”
Under the terms of the deal, Nigeria will increase its domestic health expenditures by nearly $3 billion, making it the largest co-investment any country has made to date under the America First Global Health Strategy.
Nigeria is currently ranked seventh on the Open Doors list of countries where Christians face the most persecution.