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‘Garden in a Box’ Initiative is Helping Pregnant Women Eat Nutritious Food While Building Self-Reliance Through Gardening
Tzar Oluigbo (Lead writer) Tola (not real name) did not expect much when she first received the small white box with a bunch of biodegradable seed sheets neatly tucked inside. Yet, the spinach, beetroots, and tomatoes she planted sprouted within weeks. For the first time in months, she could pick fresh vegetables at home. “I […]
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“Deliver Like the Hebrew Women”: How Traditional Myths and Religious Misconceptions Fuel Maternal and Child Deaths
Dr Otubo Victor Ogemdi* and Vivianne Ihekweazu (Lead writers) Sarah lived in Abuja. Ruth lived in Tel Aviv. Both were young, first-time expectant mothers. Both were filled with as much hope as anxiety as their due dates approached. Sarah had the support of her elderly mum and her pastor; “You will deliver like a Hebrew […]
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How the Enable Study Is Building Clinical Trial Capacity and Epidemic Readiness in Bauchi State
Lassa fever remains a persistent regional threat For over fifty years, Lassa fever has remained one of West Africa’s most persistent epidemic threats. First identified in Nigeria in 1969, the disease is now endemic across countries in the region, including Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Benin, Ghana and Mali. Yet, despite its growing public health […]
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One Vision, One Future: Why Africa’s Health Financing Is a Global Reset
Health financing has long shaped whether universal health coverage remains an ambition or becomes a reality. Across many African countries, governments are still spending far below what is needed to provide essential health services to their citizens, leaving them vulnerable to shifts in external funding and competing national priorities. This...
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The Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak Shows Why Preparedness Cannot Wait
“As we scale up our detection and response, we expect to see more cases initially before the curve begins to go down” These were the words of Prof Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, speaking at the latest WHO press briefing on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic...
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Beyond Emergency Response: Strengthening Nigeria’s Health Communication Infrastructure
Earlier this month, anxiety over the hantavirus outbreak spread quickly across Nigerian social media after a popular influencer’s verified X account falsely claimed that Nigeria had confirmed a second case of the virus. The post, amplified alongside memes, forwarded voice notes, and unverified screenshots, attracted more than 200,000 views and...
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Drug Shortage at Jere PHC in Kaduna Leaves Patients with Chronic Illnesses Without Medication
Rabi Mustapha Every visit to the Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in Jere community now comes with uncertainty for patients under the Kaduna State Contributory Health Scheme (KSCHS), who go to seek medical care but return home without the medicines they desperately need. For patients with chronic illnesses who depend on...
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Lessons from the 2026 HFN Conference on Innovation, Financing and Universal Health Coverage
Nigeria’s journey towards universal health coverage (UHC) cannot be achieved by the government or the private sector alone. The more critical question is how Nigeria can bring both parties together within a more disciplined framework of funding, regulation, data, quality, innovation, and accountability. That was the central message from the...
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Community-Owned Hand-Pump Wells Are Bringing Safer Water Closer to Villages in Rural Kaduna
Chinonso Kenneth (Lead writer) For years, residents of Mararaba Kajuru, a small community in Kajuru Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State, relied on local streams and unprotected wells as their main water sources. “We got our water from local wells and nearby streams, which was very difficult, especially during...
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First Call, First Care: Why Nigeria Must Protect the Nurses Who Protect Us
Damilola Ilori and Tosin Emejor (Lead writers) “Go and call Aunty Nurse.” In many Nigerian households, this phrase evokes both fear and relief. It is used when a child’s fever spikes, a pregnant woman senses something is wrong, a wound needs dressing, or an elderly parent has high blood pressure....
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Kagarko Villages in Kaduna Still Without Health Posts
By Rabi Mustapha Every day, pregnant women in remote villages across Kagarko Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State, are left behind in the struggle to access basic healthcare. For women in communities like Mararaban Babo, Taffa, and Chakwama, the journey to the nearest Iddah Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC), which...
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The Walk Is Over: ECOWAS Must Now Deliver on Malaria Elimination and Maternal Survival
On 25 April 2026, Health Ministers from across West Africa joined a solidarity walk through Freetown, Sierra Leone, under the theme, “One Walk, One Vision: Malaria-Free West Africa.” The walk marked World Malaria Day 2026, but it also carried a deeper political message. It closed a week of technical and...
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WHX in Lagos to highlight pathways for localising West Africa’s health supply chain
Lagos, Nigeria | 7 May 2026: West Africa’s in vitro diagnostics (IVD) market currently stands at US$0.988 billion in 2025 and is set to grow at a 4% CAGR, reaching US$1.388 billion by 2034. Meanwhile, Africa’s broader medical supplies market is soaring from US$6.5 billion in 2025 to US$11.18 billion...
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In Nigeria and Tanzania, Simulation Training Is Changing How Birth Emergencies Are Managed
Zuwena Khatib, Tzar Oluigbo and Mahdi Garba (Lead writers) On a Friday morning in Dawaki, Gombe State, Saleha, a mother of seven, was sitting outside her home when her waters broke. She had no labour pains or contractions. At the nearest health facility, she was advised to use a sanitary...
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Bunkure Women Embrace Budget-Friendly Meals After Nutrition Training
When 28-year-old Hauwa’u Aminu Sarki attended a literacy club session at the Bunkure PHC, her perception of nutrition changed. “I used to think I couldn’t afford a balanced meal,” she shared. “Now I know I can prepare nutritious food using beans, grains, and vegetables I already have at home.” For...
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