Stakeholders in Kano State are intensifying efforts to bridge routine immunisation gaps and protect zero-dose and under-immunised children through the Better Opportunities for Optimal Services and Targeted Immunisation for Zero-Dose and Under-Immunised Children (BOOST) Project.
The initiative, funded by GSK and implemented by Save the Children International, operates in Gezawa and Ungogo Local Government Areas to strengthen existing health facilities and improve access to essential vaccines.
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The stakeholders made this known during a two-day third-quarter feedback review meeting involving immunisation officers and other health officials in Ungogo, where they assessed the project’s performance, identified implementation challenges and discussed strategies for improving service delivery.
Speaking at the meeting, the Child Health and Immunisation Specialist for the BOOST Project in Kano, Dr Bukar Abubakar, said a comparison with the baseline assessment indicated progress across key thematic areas.
He explained that the meeting was designed to evaluate achievements, recognise the contributions of frontline health workers and develop practical solutions to persistent challenges affecting routine immunisation.
Abubakar commended the Kano State Government for providing an enabling environment for the project’s technical support and implementation.
The Head of Routine Immunisation in Kano State and PM SERICC, Lawan Jafar, emphasised the importance of reviewing performance data from Gezawa and Ungogo to identify areas requiring improvement.
Jafar explained that the project adopts facility-level mentorship, through which experienced health professionals provide practical guidance to frontline workers at their duty posts, helping them strengthen their skills beyond classroom-based training.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Kano Community of Practice on Immunisation and Accountability, Salisu Yusuf, called for sustained government commitment to ensure that gains recorded through partner-supported interventions are maintained beyond the project’s lifespan.
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Yusuf, who noted that 15 local government areas in Kano were reportedly facing zero-dose challenges, urged development partners and government agencies to strengthen coordination, avoid duplication of interventions and extend effective strategies to underserved communities.
The Project Manager, Malam Abdullahi Magama, said the feedback meeting provided an opportunity to assess activities at health facilities, identify operational difficulties and agree on practical measures to improve routine immunisation services.
He expressed satisfaction with participants’ willingness to discuss challenges openly, describing honest feedback as essential to achieving the project’s objectives.
The project’s Child Health and Immunisation Officer in Kano, Dr Nafi’u Muhammad Haruna, said available statistics presented at state and national levels indicated progress in routine immunisation, while stressing the need to identify remaining gaps.
Haruna urged parents to ensure that their children receive recommended vaccines without waiting for incentives, identifying misconceptions, inadequate awareness and resistance from some male spouses as barriers to immunisation in certain rural communities, including Gezawa.
He called on fathers, community leaders and other stakeholders to encourage families to embrace vaccination and protect children against preventable diseases.
The Primary Health Care Coordinator in Gezawa, Ali Uba, highlighted discrepancies in programme documentation, citing figures presented during the review that showed 34 RISS entries against 70 mentorship records.
Uba said the differences required reconciliation and that he planned to meet with the local government health team to review the records and implement corrective measures.
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He stressed that accurate documentation and accountability were essential for monitoring progress, identifying weaknesses and ensuring that reported activities reflected services actually delivered.
The stakeholders reaffirmed the importance of sustained collaboration between government health authorities, development partners and local communities to strengthen routine immunisation, improve data management and ensure that every eligible child in Kano State has access to essential vaccines.