Ebola Relief Fund Was Mismanaged, Says Report

Government officials in West African countries affected by the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak allegedly mismanaged and dubiously appropriated funds for relief from the epidemic, a recent report has revealed.

Titled Ebola Fund Watch — Tracking Funds For Ebola Crisis in West Africa Regional Report, the study was a qualitative project by BudgIT Nigeria with support from the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) to research the use of funds donated by international and national bodies towards Ebola Virus Disease Management across the sub-region.

Oluseun Onigbinde, Lead Partner of BudgIT, said the report corroborates the paltry payment to Ebola victims in Liberia, the corruption investigation in Nigeria and the damning audit report in Sierra Leone.

According to him, “It has reflected that there is a common thread of profligacy when it comes to emergency funding.”
He said BudgIT worked with partners in Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea to conduct research.