The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) have earmarked $5.3 million (approximately N7.42 billion) to tackle cholera in the Lake Chad Basin, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, disclosed.

Janabi, in a post on X on Monday, disclosed that the agreement was signed on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81) in New York, the United States.

According to him, there is also a bilateral agreement to strengthen cholera preparedness and response across the Lake Chad Basin, and support interventions in Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Niger and Nigeria.

He explained that the initiative would strengthen coordination among health authorities in the five countries, while improving early detection of cholera outbreaks and enabling faster response to emergencies.

Moreover, the partnership is expected to protect over six million people across the five countries by strengthening surveillance, outbreak detection, preparedness and coordinated response systems, he stated.

Janabi added that the programme would also improve access to life-saving treatment for people affected by cholera, particularly during outbreaks when timely medical intervention is critical.