LAGOS, May 23 (Reuters) - The World Bank has approved $50 million in additional funding for Nigeria to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS, the bank said on Wednesday. The new fund, which is part of an original $90 million credit approved in 2001, will help expand access to treatment, care prevention and support in Africa's most populous country, the bank said in a statement. With around 3 million of its 140 million people living with the deadly virus, Nigeria has the world's third highest number of HIV/AIDS sufferers after India and South Africa. "The additional financing will continue the Bank's support to Nigeria's important efforts in fighting HIV/AIDS and provide further funding for successful activities undertaken by NGOs, government agencies and the private sector," said Hafez Ghanem, World Bank country director for Nigeria. Last year, Nigeria failed to meet targets on drug access and transparency in handling donations, prompting a major donor, the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to suspend two five-year grants worth about $50 million in assistance. The ban has since been lifted. Nigeria also signed a deal with former U.S. President Bill Clinton's AIDS charity to make cheap live-saving antiretroviral drugs to fight the scourge. Nigeria has around 74 treatment centres where it gives out free AIDS drugs to 40,000 patients, with plans to scale up the therapy to more people who cannot afford it. Global voluntary group ActionAid said on Monday the world will fall short of the 2010 global target to provide universal access to HIV therapy, with the India, South Africa and Nigeria high in the "AIDS league of shame". ActionAid said just 10 percent of Nigerians requiring treatment get it. Officials said in January Nigeria is in the final stages of passing a law that will allow local drugmakers to produce more life-saving medicines to fight HIVS/AIDS and Malaria, another killer in the country.
