The Government of Japan has donated medical supplies worth $1.7 million to Lagos State to strengthen its preparedness and response to cholera outbreaks.
The donation, handed over through development partners, is aimed at improving case management, disease surveillance and infection prevention across health facilities in the state.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, described the intervention as timely and critical to ongoing public health efforts.
He said the support was “immense and timely,” noting that the medical consumables would aid the treatment of cholera and other diarrhoeal diseases.
According to the state government, contaminated food and water sources were identified as major drivers of previous outbreaks, particularly the severe cholera episode recorded in 2024. Efforts are therefore being intensified to strengthen prevention, especially in high-risk and flood-prone communities.
Japan’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Suzuki Hideo, said the donation reflects his country’s solidarity with Nigeria in tackling preventable diseases.
He stressed that the initiative demonstrates Japan’s commitment to saving lives, adding that the country is supporting three cholera-related projects in Nigeria through the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).
The intervention includes essential medicines, diagnostic kits, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) materials, personal protective equipment and other emergency supplies to protect frontline health workers and improve outbreak control.
Health authorities said the commodities would be efficiently stored and transparently distributed to general hospitals and primary health centres, with priority given to high-burden areas such as Eti-Osa, Lagos Island, Ikorodu, Kosofe and Lagos Mainland.
Officials noted that Lagos accounts for a significant share of cholera cases nationwide, making strengthened preparedness in the state critical to reducing transmission across the country.
The donation forms part of broader international support aimed at building resilient health systems and preventing future outbreaks in Nigeria.
