New fund, who this?
The government is trying to control the effects of USAID suspension
Good morning, Big Brains. You’ll need popcorn to get into the drama between Trump and China in this edition. But quick question before you get into the details – who’s your money on between the US and China?
- Margaret
Word count: ~ 1, 000
Reading time ~ 3 mins
Let’s get into today’s edition:
Nigeria has plans to continue HIV treatment without Trump’s help
China is playing Trump’s tariff game
The Big Deal
Nigeria has plans to continue HIV treatment without Trump’s help
When Trump suspended the funding activities of the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) in Nigeria and other countries where it operate, most people asked, "What’s going to happen to the 1.9 million Nigerians who rely on the antiretroviral medicines provided mainly by USAID’s funds?" The federal government finally has an answer to that question.
On Monday, February 3, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) finally converted to the gospel of domestic funding, which researchers and medical experts have been preaching for ages, by approving ₦4.8 billion to cover HIV treatment across Nigeria for the next four months.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate, said the approved funds will provide 150,000 treatment packs to sustain ongoing HIV care. FEC also approved a massive $1 billion for healthcare sector reforms under the Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity (HOPE) program, which is supposed to strengthen governance and improve primary healthcare across the country.
The health minister also revealed that the government has a plan to cover funding for tuberculosis (TB) and malaria programs – two programs that relied on USAID too. The plan is called a "transition and sustainability plan," and the goal is to shift to domestic funding moving forward.
To be honest, we would love to see it, but we would have loved it more if the plan had started 22 years ago.
Why is this a big deal?
When USAID started funding HIV treatments in Nigeria in 2003, everybody in Aso Rock must have assumed that the agency would not wake up one morning and ghost the 1.9 million Nigerians it supplies antiretroviral treatment. The smallest sense of proactivity could have saved the beneficiaries of the treatments the anxiety that came with Trump’s decision (which he is well within his rights allowed to make).
As of 2022, 80% of the money Nigeria spent on HIV treatments came from foreign aid, and this isn’t because the federal government never considered the possibility that foreign aid isn’t sustainable enough to stop the spread of HIV. In the same 2022, former President Muhammed Buhari admitted that Nigeria needs to focus more on domestic funding. If he had taken his own advice, USAID’s suspension would have been heartbreaking, not catastrophic.
Anyway, there's no need to cry over spilt tea or whatever the kids say these days. Let’s talk about how much Nigeria needs to invest yearly to help its citizens living with HIV. In 2024, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Control, Amobi Ogah, said Nigeria needs approximately $8 billion (about ₦10.4 trillion) annually to sustain the fight against HIV/AIDS. Compared to Ogah’s estimate, FG’s ₦4.8 billion is cute.
It’s great that the government is taking steps to control the effects of USAID’s exit, but if they are not able to invest enough money, there’s a chance that things might go from bad to worse. For context, Nigeria currently has the highest number of children born with HIV in the world. Without accessible antiretroviral treatment, the spread of HIV can get worse than it currently is. HIV patients also risk dying of AIDS.
It’s a scary possibility, so we hope FG’s "transition and sustainability plan” is as fancy as it sounds.
China is playing Trump’s tariff game
The two largest economies in the world are doing gbas gbos, and it all started on February 4 when US President Donald Trump decided to impose an additional 10% tariff on all Chinese imports.
China has now clapped back at Trump’s latest tariff drama with a 15% tariff on US coal and liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and a 10% hit on crude oil, farm equipment, and cars—all set to take effect on February 10.
But that’s not all. China is also going lower than low by limiting exports of key metals like tungsten and molybdenum— which are super important for clean energy tech. China controls most of the supply of these metals, so they seem to be beating Trump at his game.
Meanwhile, Trump is handing out mixed signals like a confused lover. He paused Canada and Mexico’s 25% tariffs for 30 days after squeezing some border security concessions out of them. But China’s tariffs are still as active as ever. According to him, the tariffs imposed on China are supposed to fight his country’s fentanyl crisis—a dangerous drug that kills tens of thousands of people in the US every year.
China, on the other hand, calls BS because it believes the US needs to deal with its drug crisis without blaming it. The country has also vowed to fight the tariffs at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) while keeping negotiations open.
The drama is still early, but the global market is feeling the heat. Stocks in Hong Kong have dipped, the Yuan weakened, and the Australian dollar was also dragged down with it. On the flip side, the US dollar is getting stronger—because chaos is just another energy booster for Trump.
Analysts are not optimistic about the outcome of the global trade war, which is likely about to get worse. Oxford Economics is already waving a red flag, saying this trade war is only getting started. Meanwhile, countries like Nigeria, which rely heavily on imports from both China and the US, are going to be collateral damage in this global trade war.
Friendly advice – it might be time to invest more in dollars.
This Week’s Big Question
“Are you voting in 2027 or choosing to face Nigerian lawmakers’ proposed punishment? ”
Neonate’s response - “Can they make me vote without a PVC? Because I'm not going to queue for that nonsense. Besides, I would have said goodbye to this country by then.”
You can also share your response here, and if it’s as interesting Neonate’s, we’ll feature it in the next edition.
The Big Picks
We Are Working On Providing Free Cancer Screening In Six Zones – NICRAT: Dr. Usman Malami Aliyu, Director General of the National Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment, shared President Tinubu’s plans to establish cancer screening centers across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones and other key oncology initiatives.
Trump Set To Dismantle US Education Department: US President Donald Trump is expected to sign new executive orders, with reports suggesting he’s starting his plan to dismantle the federal education department as part of his election promises.