When U.S. funds abruptly dried up, Nigerian virologist Prof. Oyewale Tomori saw an unlikely gift: proof that Africa can—and must—stand on its own. In this episode, he tells host Paul Adepoju why the continent is “resource-wasteful, not resource-limited,” skewering billion-naira motorcades and idle PCR labs while village health officers lack even a bicycle.

Linking to Paul’s Global Health Now feature “⁠Mosquito Nets and Geopolitical Bets⁠,” Tomori explains how a halted donor-funded supply chain threatens Nigeria’s malaria gains—yet also exposes the folly of outsourcing prevention to foreign budgets.

His prescription? “Throw away the box and think like a human being,” redirecting local money into basics: community-level surveillance, home-grown bed-net factories, and water sanitation that beats disease before it starts.

From the fine line between hope and optimism to the politics of sustaining reform beyond 2027, Tomori’s candor is a wake-up call for policymakers—and anyone who still believes Africa’s health future depends on external lifelines.

Listen for a bracing master-class in prevention-first public health and a roadmap toward true self-reliance.