In a renewed effort to combat the growing concern of zero-dose children, the Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN), in partnership with the African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), has organised a three-day Peer Learning and Exchange Retreat under the Zero Dose Learning Hub (ZDLH) project.
Funded by GAVI the retreat, held in Abuja, convened over 30 stakeholders from national and sub-national levels across the four ZDLH implementing states: Kano, Borno, Bauchi, Sokoto, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
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Themed “Accountability, Equity and Sustainability in Reducing Zero Dose Children,” the event provided a collaborative platform for members of the Community of Practice (CoP) to review progress, share best practices, and co-create strategies to improve immunization coverage in Nigeria.
In a presentation titled “ZDLH State Reflections: What Works, What Doesn’t, What Next?” Kano state AHBN Focal Person, Dr. Musa Muhammad Bello, pointed out that innovative strategies to be deployed to close the immunisation gaps include piloting immunisation cards to register vulnerable households for Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) schemes, assessing project performance using the IRMMA framework and Theory of Change.
Others are exploring partnerships with organisations like Save the Children (SCI), BOST, and PROTECT to leverage local resources.
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“Deepening CoP participation in Technical Working Groups (TWGs) and immunisation task force meetings, as well as strengthening advocacy through data-driven scorecards”
“Ensuring continued CoP engagement in all immunisation-related platforms and utilising locally driven innovations and advocacy to drive systemic change”
In his remarks, Borno state AHBN Team Lead, Dr. Adamu Hassan Umar, emphasised on integrating immunisation with other services such as nutrition, maternal care, education, policy and coordination to create a more holistic approach to child health.
“Supporting frontline health workers through training and protective measures.
However, the Bauchi State AHBN Focal Person, Dr. Hassan Shuaibu Musa, stressed that sustained engagement with political, traditional, and community leaders is crucial to boosting immunisation outcomes.
He also highlighted the importance of Accountability tools like joint monitoring committees and scorecards and Inclusive approaches that involve youth, women’s groups, and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) to increase program effectiveness.
The retreat reinforced the shared goal of reducing the number of zero-dose children by improving accountability, equity, and sustainability in immunisation programming.
The government CoP Chairs highlighted the progress in addressing zero-dose children across the four states.
Organisers say the success of this retreat highlights the power of peer learning, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and community involvement in building resilient health systems and ensuring that no child is left behind.