Beyond Innovation: What Will It Take to Make Maternal Health Solutions Work for Every Woman in Nigeria?
Nigeria has promising solutions to prevent maternal deaths. From digital health solutions and innovative financing models to quality improvement initiatives and community-based care, evidence-based interventions are emerging to address gaps in maternal healthcare. Yet the challenge remains that these solutions struggle to extend beyond individual projects into the health system, where women can access them […]
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From Innovation to Impact: What Will It Take to Expand Nigeria’s Proven Health Solutions?
Days before the Future of Health Conference, Emergency Response Africa sent an ambulance to a woman who was seven months pregnant. She gave birth to a preterm boy in the ambulance. The ambulance crew then tried to find a facility where both mother and newborn could receive care. The first facility they reached lacked the […]
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Can Nigeria’s MAMII Initiative Bring Family Planning into Routine Maternal Care?
Nigeria has introduced several policies and programmes aimed at expanding access to contraceptives, from its FP2030 commitment to achieve a modern contraceptive prevalence rate (mCPR) of 27% by 2030, to the National Family Planning Blueprint. These efforts also include task-shifting and task-sharing policies that enable trained healthcare workers to provide selected contraceptive services, as well […]
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Moving From Policy to Practice: Integrating Family Planning into Nigeria’s Maternal Health Response
Nigeria’s efforts to reduce maternal deaths must address both the complications that arise during pregnancy and childbirth and the unintended pregnancies that can be prevented through quality family planning services. According to FP2030 estimates, modern contraceptive use in Nigeria prevented approximately 2.66 million unintended pregnancies and averted an estimated 19,000...
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Curated Conversations: Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum on Building Africa’s Capacity to Respond to Epidemics
For more than five decades, Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum has worked at the intersection of scientific discovery, outbreak response and the development of Africa’s research capacity. The Congolese virologist has helped shape how the world understands and responds to emerging infectious diseases. Beyond his contributions to Ebola research, his career reflects...
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Kwadon Residents Raise Concerns Over Lack of Ambulance for Emergency Maternal Referrals
Juliana Pius Birma A pregnant woman's survival should not depend on finding a commercial tricycle during a medical emergency. At Kwadon Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Area (LGA) of Gombe State, the lack of a dedicated ambulance exposes pregnant women to potentially life-threatening delays when complications arise....
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Curated Conversations: Dr Abasi Ene-Obong on Why Nigeria Must Own Its Genomic Future
“The fact that you do genomics in Nigeria does not necessarily mean that the insights are just for Nigeria…We and the entire world are connected by human biology.” — Dr Abasi Ene-Obong Africa has the most genetically diverse populations in the world. It also contributes the least data to the science that...
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How Communities Connect Mothers to Skilled Care in The Gambia’s North Bank Region and Nigeria’s Jigawa State
Ousman A. Marong and Anibe Idajili (Guest writers) When women go into labour in Mendy Kunda, a rural community in The Gambia’s North Bank Region, getting to a hospital can depend on how quickly help can be found. For Rose Mendy, a resident of the community, that support has come...
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Less Waiting, Less Waste: Kaizen Institute Is Improving Pharmacy Services Across Kaduna PHCs
At Sabon Tasha Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in Kaduna State, the lack of a dedicated store and dispensing area once led to the loss of essential medical supplies and delays in patient care. But following an intervention by Kaizen Institute, Jennifer James Gayan, head of the facility’s Pharmacy Unit, noted...
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The 2026 Future of Health Conference Should Make Innovation Count for Nigerians
In 2015, Nigeria Health Watch held its first Future of Health Conference. Since then, we have seen new policies, technologies, investments and ambitious commitments to transform the health sector. Yet for millions of Nigerians, accessing quality, affordable healthcare remains an everyday struggle. Today, 29 October, the 11th Future of Health...
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Less Aid. Tougher Choices. What Lies Ahead for the Next Global Fund Executive Director?
This week, the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria meets in Geneva to appoint its next Executive Director. Five finalists remain from a global search launched in February 2026. Whoever is chosen at the 56th Board Meeting, scheduled for 28 to 30 October, will take...
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Civil Society Is Turning 7-1-7 Data into Advocacy for Faster Outbreak Response
At about 6 p.m. on Tuesday, 20 October, I was finishing this article’s first draft when my phone lit up. The Minister of Health and Social Welfare announced a confirmed Ebola case in Nigeria. The news gave fresh urgency to the questions driving this article. How quickly can Nigeria detect,...
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Using Needles, Threads and Art, Girls in Kano Communities Learn About Sexual and Reproductive Health
Hadiza Musa Seventy-six girls from Dala, Wudil and Ghari Local Government Areas of Kano State are putting their reproductive health knowledge into action, taking lessons learned through the 6-month Furanni programme organised by Nigeria Health Watch in partnership with Five Cowries Art Education Initiative. The programme concluded with graduation ceremonies...
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Nigeria’s Ebola Response Needs Coordinated Communication to Build Trust
An Ebola response asks people to report symptoms, disclose their movements and accept monitoring that may interrupt their livelihoods. Those requests depend on trust, largely shaped by what public health authorities do and how clearly, consistently and transparently they communicate. Nigeria confirmed an imported case of Bundibugyo virus disease on...
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When Facts Are Not Enough: What Really Shapes Trust in Health
Picture a mother in Nigeria who is hesitant to vaccinate her child because she has heard that the vaccine could affect fertility. A family member has shared a frightening story about the vaccine, further questioning its safety. Even though a health worker tells her the vaccine is safe, she is...
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Nigeria Health Watch is a division of the Health Watch Foundation, a leading not for profit organisation dedicated to advancing health outcomes in Nigeria. The organisation combines deep expertise in health and strategic communications to drive evidence based advocacy, strengthen the capacity of health sector institutions, and influence policy for impact.
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A well informed and empowered population advocating for improved health.
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To provide communities, organisations and governments with the tools and knowledge to make evidence-based decisions for better health outcomes.
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Nigeria Health Watch is a critical component of the work we do at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention towards protecting the health of Nigerians. NHW continues to amplify the work being done at NCDC as well as nationwide towards strengthening health security and advancing healthcare in Nigeria. We are grateful for our partnership and your continued advocacy for improved funding for epidemic preparedness and especially support towards risk communications during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa
Former DG, Nigeria Centre for Disease ControlI have had the honour of working with Nigeria Health Watch for over 5 years and have witnessed the exponential growth and reach of the platform. As a health leader and cancer advocate, I value the importance of accurate data and information. With Nigeria Health Watch, I am always assured of.
Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu
MD/CEO Medicaid Radio-Diagnostics & ClinicsNigeria Health Watch is a powerful voice for healthcare development in Africa. Through solutions-based journalism, creative storytelling, and policy advocacy, they continue to transform the way healthcare is reported, discussed, and perceived by everyone, particularly policymakers. The energy and professionalism they bring to projects are unmatched and I can attest that they have closed a longstanding gap in health communications in Nigeria.
Dr. Oyebanji Filani
Commissioner, Health & Human Services Ekiti State at Government of Ekiti StateReliable information is essential to improving health care, and Nigeria Health Watch plays a key role in delivering it. Through surveys, analysis, field reporting, and solutions-based journalism, it consistently produces insights grounded in everyday realities that inform improvements in health services and outcomes. All of this is driven by its skilled and innovative team, whose work is increasingly recognised across the continent and beyond
Dickens Olewe
Program Officer, Gates FoundationOur partnership with Nigeria Health Watch has been instrumental in advancing Africa’s voice in global public health discourse. Through strategic collaboration on platforms such as the Africa Health Agenda International Conference (AHAIC) and across digital media, they bring a distinctive strength in translating complex health challenges into compelling, human-centered narratives that drive both engagement and action
Dr Githinji Gitahi
Group CEO, Amref Health AfricaMSD for Mothers has collaborated with Nigeria Health Watch since 2018. What is most exciting about working with Nigeria Health Watch is their ability to connect the dots across public health actors and themes — linking the lived experiences of people with the healthcare workers delivering care, the health innovators designing solutions to bridge gaps, and governments at all levels that set standards of care, create enabling policy environments, and serve as the primary purchasers of healthcare through state insurance and contributory health schemes.
Iyadunni Olubode
Lead of Kenya & Nigeria Programs, MSD for MothersWorking with Nigeria Health Watch has been an absolute pleasure. Across two consecutive conferences, their team has demonstrated exceptional professionalism, genuine passion, and a tireless commitment to going above and beyond. They made every aspect of our partnership seamless and stress-free. Their dedication to delivering impactful, high-quality coverage speaks for itself, and I look forward to continuing this partnership at many more conferences to come
Winnie Kariuki
Global Health Strategies Associate, KenyaNigeria Health Watch has done what few organisations achieve — they made citizen voices drive real policy change in Kano State. Their evidence-driven approach, combining community scorecards, town halls, and health storytelling, has transformed how we listen to citizens and respond to their needs. From deploying healthcare workers to increased enrollment of vulnerable people into health insurance, their community engagement model has delivered results that speak for themselves.
Dr Abubakar Labaran Yusuf
Commissioner for Health, Kano StateWillow Health Media Initiative has built a strong partnership with Nigeria Health Watch, marked by professionalism, effective coordination, and stakeholder engagement. In 2025, we collaborated to convene a webinar and hybrid roundtable in Kenya on Africa’s health financing landscape, bringing together diverse stakeholders across the continent. Nigeria Health Watch’s ability to convene influential voices added immense value to advancing critical conversations on sustainable health financing and health system strengthening in Africa.
Dr. Mercy Korir
Co-Founder, CEO & Editor-In-Chief, Willow Health Media InitiativeI have worked with Nigeria Health Watch as our in-country partner for the malaria sub-national tailoring Exemplars project. They have impressed me with their ability to learn quickly, to collaborate, to innovate, and to deliver high quality work on time. I have also learned from them the value of structured advocacy in supporting Nigeria to develop evidence-informed malaria strategies
Professor Abdisalan Noor
Executive Director, AHADI, Visiting Professor, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthThrough the years of partnership and as part of Nigeria Health Watch's pioneering journey, I experienced Nigeria Health Watch work with communities, thought leaders, policy makers, and health development actors within the private and public sector as advocates for stronger, well-resourced health systems and actionable health policies. To achieve this, Nigeria Health Watch continues to ensure citizens voices are amplified through evidence informed story-telling while providing a platform for dialogue, research and sharing innovative ideas that help improve health outcomes in Nigeria and on the African continent
Nanlop Ogbureke
Executive Director, Resolve to Save Lives in NigeriaNigeria Health Watch brings a refreshing look and attitude to health communication, strategic storytelling, and advocacy. With a strong online presence, Nigeria Health Watch acts as a bridge between policies and community awareness and engagement through thought leadership