Beyond Aid Is Not a Financing Plan: What Sustainable Women’s and Maternal Health Funding Must Look Like in Nigeria
Nigeria’s maternal health challenge is not simply about whether sufficient funding is available. It is also about how resources are raised, allocated and translated into essential services for women, particularly those living in poor and underserved communities. Discussions at the 2026 World Health Summit in Berlin brought this challenge into focus. Across several sessions, a […]
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Nigeria’s Health Sovereignty Begins with Funding and Accountability in the Global Health Reset
In early 2025, the United States’ pause on foreign assistance raised concerns about funding gaps in health programmes. During the 2025 budget process, Nigeria included a provision of about US$200 million, approximately ₦300 billion at the budget’s exchange rate, to address gaps resulting from the US foreign aid pause. The National Assembly approved the budget […]
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“They Did a Lot for Us”: Residents’ Demands Led to a Makeover at Indabo PHC in Kano
Hadiza Musa For years, residents of Indabo community in Wudil Local Government Area of Kano State have struggled to access quality healthcare at their Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC). With dry taps, leaking roofs, broken doors, and poor sanitation, the facility has struggled to provide a safe and functional environment for patients. Staff shortages further compounded […]
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Strengthening Nigeria’s Health Workforce to Prevent Maternal and Child Deaths
Nigeria does not lack maternal and child health policies, programmes or commitments. What it lacks is enough skilled, supported and fairly deployed health workers to turn those commitments into care. The country still contends with critical workforce deficits in midwives, nurses and obstetricians. This informed discussions at the 2026 World...
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Health Is Economic Infrastructure: Why Nigeria Must Invest in Health
The recently concluded World Health Summit in Berlin, themed “From Crisis to Resilience: Innovating for Health”, reinforced a key message: health spending is an investment, not just an expense. Yet Nigeria’s 2026 Appropriation Bill proposed ₦2.48 trillion for health out of ₦58.47 trillion, about 4.2% of the budget. That is...
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Nigeria’s First Bundibugyo Ebola Case Puts Preparedness Investments to the Test
On 20 October 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Nigeria free of Ebola transmission. Twelve years to the day, Nigeria confirmed an imported case of Bundibugyo virus disease, a type of Ebola disease, in Abuja. The immediate task is to prevent further transmission. If a patient walks into a...
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Why Does Water in Parts of Kano Look “Thick Like Coffee”?
Lukman Abdulmalik and Zubaida Baba Ibrahim (Lead writers) This investigation is being published in partnership with The Xylom, a science-focused publication. Khamis did not immediately realise that the water flowing into his home could make him sick, however, when cholera struck, the 55-year-old resident of Tamburawa in Dawakin Kudu Local...
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Furanni Equips Women in Kano’s Ghari Community to Recognise Prolonged Labour and Seek Timely Care
Hadiza Musa For pregnant women, recognising the warning signs of complications and seeking medical attention early can mean the difference between life and death. Yet, knowing when to seek care remains an important challenge in preventing maternal and newborn deaths. In Ghari Local Government Area (LGA) of Kano State, the...
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Nigeria Must Turn Maternal Health Commitments into Functioning Care
A maternal death is a preventable loss for a woman, her family and her community. Yet Nigeria’s challenge is to commit to preventing these deaths, and to ensure that funding, the health workforce, medicines, transport and emergency care are available when women need them. Nigeria’s maternal health services face linked...
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In Kenya, a Community Programme Supports Adolescent Mothers in Korogocho
Sharon Atieno Onyango (Guest writer) At 17, Lynet hoped to continue her education and train as a nurse. After she became pregnant, she says, those plans felt out of reach. The pregnancy brought financial and social pressures. Lynet says her mother, who was raising the family alone, was already struggling...
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Lenacapavir Brings New Hope for HIV Prevention Among Young People in Zambia, but the Push for Increased Supply Continues
At 29, Ruth Manga had thought carefully about her risk of acquiring HIV. She had seen friends struggle to negotiate safer sex and wanted a prevention option she could choose for herself. “I have known that I am at substantial risk of contracting HIV,” she said. “So, I decided to...
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Barnawa PHC’s Renovation Improves Care, but Growing Patient Demand Strains Services
Margaret Zichat The revitalisation of Barnawa Primary Healthcare (PHC) has given the facility a new life, attracting more patients and improving the delivery of essential health services. “Before now there was a huge cry from the community. Thankfully, through the Chairman of Kaduna South Local Government Area (LGA), relief materials...
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Funding Cuts to Women’s Organisations Put Women, Girls and Gender Equality at Risk
For thousands of girls forced to leave school because of child marriage or adolescent pregnancy, Her Voice Foundation, a Nigerian-based non-profit, has offered a second chance to return to school, gain skills and build economic independence. However, as funding crisis disproportionately hits women-led and women-focused organisations, Favour Abatang, the founder...
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Free Emergency Obstetric Care is Easing the Cost of Childbirth Complications in Bauchi
Talatu had waited months to welcome her daughter Fatsima’s first child. But after Fatsima went into labour, she had a seizure on the way to the hospital. The family arrived at the Federal University of Health Sciences Teaching Hospital in Azare, Bauchi, around midnight. Doctors diagnosed Fatsima with eclampsia, a...
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The Long Life We Wished For: Can Older Nigerians Get the Care They Need?
Beti Baiye (Guest Writer) LLNP, or Long Life and Prosperity, is a common birthday wish expressing hope for a long, fulfilling life. However, given that Nigeria’s life expectancy at birth ranks among the lowest globally, we need to ask if we are building a health system that helps people reach...
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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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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