Nigerian civil society and media organizations are fighting back against mis- and dis-information about the COVID-19 pandemic, providing accurate information to the public about the dangers of the virus and how to keep safe, tracking funds allocated for COVID-19 response and recovery, and providing equipment for some of the most vulnerable members of society and frontline workers. Government reformers, civil society, and the media are playing a leading role in Nigeria’s COVID-19 response and will be critical for Nigeria’s recovery.
Based on conversations with partners and civil society organizations, MacArthur’s Nigeria office is providing more than $900,000 in grant support to the following organizations responding to the pandemic:
United Nations Development Program, (UNDP) $400,000 to enable the UNDP office in Nigeria to purchase supplies for surveillance, prevention, and clinical management of the pandemic in the country’s under-resourced Northern regions.
Bayero University, $100,000 to expand testing capacity and to purchase personal protective equipment for frontline medical workers in northern Nigeria.
Centre for Democracy and Development, $50,000 to expand its fact-checking campaign on COVID-19 to include widely-spoken local languages in Nigeria.
Centre for Information Technology and Development, $50,000 to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the state of Kano through public education and community mobilization.
Legal Defence and Assistance Project, $50,000 to increase access to justice resources for the most vulnerable criminal suspects and inmates during the pandemic in an effort to document human rights violations.
Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education, $50,000 for public education and community mobilization on COVID-19.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, $50,000 to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of COVID-19 funds by the Nigerian government.
Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative, $50,000 to work with a coalition of women’s rights organizations and the Ministry of Women Affairs to educate the public, advocate for basic needs, and protect women and children from abuse during the pandemic.
Network for Health Equity and Development, $49,500 to monitor and support response systems to COVID-19 at the state and federal level and promote awareness among Nigerian citizens.
Akin Fadeyi Foundation, $43,500 to produce Nigerian-language public health education videos.
Partners West Africa – Nigeria, $25,000 to conduct a snapshot study to assess the physical, economic, and social impacts of the pandemic on women in Nigeria.
