Nigeria Has a Lead Elimination Policy. Communities Need to See It Working
Lead poisoning from consumer products has gained renewed attention in Nigeria, following the launch of the National Policy and Action Plan on Lead Poisoning Elimination in 2025. People can be exposed to lead by inhaling contaminated air or dust, or ingesting contaminated soil, food or water. Informal battery recycling, e-waste dismantling, metal recovery and unsafe […]
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Nigeria’s Agricultural Commitments Must Deliver Better Nutrition
Imole Agunbiade and Maureen Moneke (Lead writers) According to World Bank data, Nigeria had 36.872 million hectares of arable land in 2023. Productive agriculture depends on farmers having security, reliable inputs, water, research, extension services, roads, storage and access to markets. Households, at the same time, need incomes that can keep pace with rising food […]
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What the Andes Hantavirus Outbreak Reveals About Global Attention to Lassa Fever
The Andes Hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius gripped international attention with remarkable speed after the World Health Organization (WHO) received the first official notification of a cluster of severe respiratory illness aboard the expedition cruise ship on 2 May 2026. Round-the-clock news coverage tracked the vessel’s journey from the coast of West Africa […]
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In Kano, Arts and Craft Sessions Are Improving Menstrual Health for Women and Girls
Hafsat Bello Every month, women gather for craft sessions in circles at the Sani Mai Unguwa ICT Centre in Dala Local Government Area (LGA) of Kano to learn hand stitching. But the most valuable skill they take home is how to protect their health using storytelling. What begins with needles...
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Another Office or a Stronger System? The Institutional Test for Nigeria’s Digital Health Agenda
On 26 June 2026, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the establishment of the National Health Technology and Data Analytics Office (NHTDAO) and appointed Dr Obi Adigwe as its pioneer National Coordinator. The decision shows that the government now recognises the central role of digital systems and reliable data in health...
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Turning Livestock Waste into Fertiliser: Can a Kaduna Enterprise Cut Farm Costs and Support Better Nutrition?
Lukman Abdulmalik (Lead writer) For several farming seasons, Aminu Sule watched the price of NPK and urea rise without seeing a comparable increase in the prices he received for the maize and tomatoes he harvested. The farmer from Kura, Kano State, was trying to cut production costs. Instead, he stumbled...
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‘Where Does My Donated Blood Go?’ Tracing the Life-Saving Journey from Donor to Patient
A shortage of blood should never be the reason a patient dies. Yet across Nigeria, many patients in need of lifesaving transfusions still face delays because blood is often unavailable when and where it is needed. With only about 30% of the country’s annual blood supply coming from voluntary donors,...
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How a Philanthropic Donation Expanded Samaru PHC and Improved Access to Quality Care
Rabi Mustapha What happens when a Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) expansion meets the growing healthcare needs of a fast-expanding community? In Samaru, Sabon Gari Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State, a major expansion of the PHC has transformed access to care, reduced overcrowding and restored hope for thousands of...
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What IMNHC 2026 Made Clear: Evidence Is Not Enough Without Delivery
At a time when progressin reducing maternal and newborn deaths has slowed, the urgency of moving from evidence to action has never been greater. For countries such as Nigeria, where maternal and newborn mortality remain unacceptably high, the issue is no longer whether proven interventions exist, they do. The harder...
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How a Zambian Community Turned Local Reports into an Early-Warning System
In Kanyama, a peri-urban settlement in Lusaka, Zambia, thirty-five-year-old Emmanuel Banda begins many mornings by moving house to house through the community where he lives and works. Banda is a polyvalent community-based volunteer, a health worker trained across multiple disease areas rather than one, to identify health risks before they...
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Three Months On, Gyartai PHC Still Lacks a Midwife
Every time a woman goes into labour in Gyartai, her family prepares for more than childbirth. They prepare for a risky home delivery or a journey to another community. Three months after residents demanded better maternal health services during a town hall meeting, Gyartai PHC still lacks a midwife, leaving...
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COVID-19 Funding Built New Health Infrastructure. Will Nigeria Build on It or Lose It?
Oluwafolakemi Ajala (Guest writer) The arrival of COVID-19 in Nigeria in early 2020 exposed long-standing weaknesses in oxygen supply, diagnostics, surveillance, emergency response coordination and public health funding. In health facilities, access to medical oxygen was often inadequate and unreliable, and laboratory infrastructure was fragmented. Surveillance systems were under-resourced, and...
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As Efforts Intensify to Contain Bundibugyo Ebola, Women Remain Most Vulnerable to Its Economic Impact
The escalating Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak has sparked renewed international concern after French health authorities confirmed an imported case in a doctor returning from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on June 23. While the case marks the outbreak’s reach beyond endemic countries, the patient was immediately isolated, and contact...
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An Epidemic of Parastatals in Nigeria’s Health Sector
Over the past few months, several bills proposing new parastatals in Nigeria’s health sector have been introduced, creating considerable confusion across the sector. It is unclear what is driving these proposals or where the pressure for additional parastatals is coming from. There appears to be no demand from health professionals...
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From Innovation to Integration: What It Will Take to Make Every Pregnancy Safer in Nigeria
Nigeria accounts for 28.7% of all maternal deaths globally, representing more than a quarter of all maternal deaths. This means that for every three women who die from pregnancy-related causes, one is a Nigerian. Most maternal deaths are preventable, yet they persist because evidence-based care is still not reaching women...
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Who We Are
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.
Our Vision
A well informed and empowered population advocating for improved health.
Our Mission
To provide communities, organisations and governments with the tools and knowledge to make evidence-based decisions for better health outcomes.
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If Nigeria Health Watch has inspired you, informed your work, or made an impact in your community, please take a moment to share a short testimonial about your experience. Your words help us tell the story of our impact and inspire others to join our mission for a healthier Nigeria.
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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