A United States Agency, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), announced that it has awarded a total of $3 million in grants to three Nigerian healthcare firms in the country. The firms are Lily Hospitals Limited, Cedarcrest Hospitals Limited and Mobihealthcare Limited (Mobihealth).
- Lily Hospitals was awarded $1 million for for a feasibility study to support the refurbishment and operation of 10 healthcare facilities in Nigeria. These facilities, located in multiple urban hubs across the country, will serve up to 25,000 patients annually. Lily selected Maryland-based Anadach Consulting Group, LLC, to conduct the study. USTDA’s study will assess and recommend the most suitable healthcare facilities for Lily to refurbish and integrate into its existing network of facilities. The project will increase access to modern, quality healthcare systems at a lower cost and in a shorter timeframe than commissioning and constructing new healthcare facilities.
- Cedarcrest Hospitals Limited was awarded $1 million to carry out a feasibility study to develop a comprehensive cancer treatment center in Abuja that will provide diagnosis and treatment services for up to 1,000 patients per year. Cedarcrest selected Ohio-based Utopian Consulting, LLC, to conduct the study. USTDA’s study will provide the analysis required for Cedarcrest to design and implement a comprehensive cancer treatment center that will improve access to oncology services. The center will offer full-range oncology services to include prevention and screening, diagnostics, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, surgical oncology, and radiotherapy.
- Mobihealthcare Limited (Mobihealth) secured $1 million for a feasibility study to support the expansion of its telehealth services from Nigeria to Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, and Egypt. This collaborative effort will help expand healthcare access for 100,000 individuals per year across Africa. USTDA’s study will include a detailed market assessment, financial analysis, and legal and regulatory assessment for each of the four countries. The Africa Investment Forum (AIF) is collaborating with USTDA to facilitate the development and financing of Mobihealth’s project.
USTDA’s announcement of grant funding for Lily’s feasibility study took place at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja.
In the three presentations, Enoh T. Ebong, USTDA’s Director reiterated the fact that the agency made the promotion of access to quality healthcare services, a top priority for USTDA in Nigeria.
According to Nigerian Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, “[USTDA’s grantees] will be equipped with more tools to develop their programs, be it as top-notch cancer treatment centers or other related services that address urgent healthcare needs in our country. A closer relationship with USTDA will also allow recipient organizations to draw on highly valued U.S experience in healthcare and build lasting partnerships that improve national and global health.”
“This USTDA grant is very timely. It supports our expansion strategy of reactivating underperforming healthcare facilities. This will revitalize neighborhoods, create employment opportunities, support investment, and contribute to economic growth,” said Dr. Austin Okogun, Lily’s CEO. “This project will allow more healthcare professionals to contribute to their communities, while offering partnerships and franchise opportunities to medical and related clinical experts. It will also offer opportunities for U.S. companies to supply the high-quality technologies that these facilities will require. Above all else, we are committed to improving access to good quality and affordable care to Nigerians.”
In his response, Dr. Felix Ogedegbe, Cedarcrest’s CEO said, “Cedarcrest Hospitals is very delighted to be a recipient of this grant from USTDA. As a private multispecialty hospital group, we have been at the forefront of ensuring the availability of highly specialized healthcare locally and have recently decided to expand into the oncology treatment space. This grant will no doubt aid in achieving the dream of setting up a comprehensive cancer diagnosis and treatment center, make these services available locally, and ensure in-bound medical tourism from the subregion. In making this grant, USTDA has shown its commitment to helping develop highly skilled local capacity in cancer treatment.”
Mobihealth CEO Funmi Adewara said in response: “The USTDA grant comes at an opportune time and will enable us to expand the scope of our integrated telehealth, electronic medical records, and digitalization services to several other African markets over the next few years. African female entrepreneurs find it much harder to raise funds, so this support from the USTDA, made possible through the AIF, will be invaluable. The impact this project will have across Africa’s healthcare system cannot be over emphasized.”
