U.S. Government Provides $5 million for Pharmaceutical-grade Warehouse in Lagos (August 27, 2015).

L-R: Members of U.S. Embassy Nigeria and the Government of Nigeria at the groundbreaking ceremony to construct a warehouse-in-a-box project in Lagos. Photo Credit: US Consulate

Lagos, Nigeria --The U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and in partnership with the Global Fund for AIDS, TB, and Malaria (GFATM), has co-funded the construction of a state-of-the-art, pharmaceutical-grade warehouse in Lagos using an innovative technology called a "Warehouse-in-a-Box." Earlier this year, construction began on a similar project in Abuja at the Idu Industrial Area. The two new facilities will provide more storage space for medications and life-saving public health equipment in Nigeria.

The U.S. government provided $4 million, with GFATM contributing $1 million, and the Federal Government of Nigeria providing the land to construct the warehouse in Lagos.

"We're happy to help the Government of Nigeria establish a national system to ensure that Nigerian families, especially expectant mothers and children, can go to a health clinic and find the medical supplies and medicines that they need," said the Acting U.S. Consul General in Lagos, Dehab Ghebreab.

The Lagos warehouse covers a surface area of 3465 square meters with smooth dust-free floors, temperature regulating systems, security systems, thermal insulated ceilings, and appropriate warehouse handling equipment, such as shelving, electric reach stackers, and hand pallet movers.

The warehouse will double the storage capacity of existing warehouses and will make it easier for the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health to buy, store, track, and distribute medications to health care centers across Nigeria. Over 7,000 health facilities across the country will receive commodities directly from the two new warehouses. The warehouses will also reduce the cost and time of transporting life-saving medications and equipment to all parts of Nigeria.

Building this warehouse in Lagos aligns with one of the six central technical components of the Government of Nigeria's Saving One Million Lives initiative—scaling up access to essential medicines.

USAID invests in programs that promote agricultural productivity, combat maternal and child mortality, reduce the prevalence of infectious diseases, foster private sector development and sustainable economic growth, help communities adapt to a changing environment, and elevate the role of women and girls.
Source: nigeria usembassy