Stakeholders in the health sector have called for improved child survival outcomes and stronger primary healthcare delivery at the local government level, stressing the need for community accountability, digital innovation and sustainable financing for health.

The call was made at the Integrated Child Survival Advocacy at the Last Mile (ICSA) Project’s national strategic alignment meeting held in Abuja, which brought together commissioners for health and executive secretaries of State Primary Health Care Development Boards.

The ICSA project, supported by the Nana Girls and Women Empowerment Initiative and the Civil Society for Malaria Control, Immunisation and Nutrition (ACOMIN), is currently being piloted in six states to test interventions aimed at improving child health and survival.

Speaking at the meeting, the Deputy Director, Department of Health Planning, Research and Statistics at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Gbenga Ijaodola, said the ministry is working closely with sub-national governments to improve child health indices and achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Ijaodola explained that the ministry is pursuing a consolidated and integrated approach to implementing child health policies by engaging stakeholders and maximising available resources. He noted that while the frameworks and structures are already in place, greater commitment is required at all levels to translate plans into action.

“The federal government provides leadership, while the states provide support to ensure implementation of one plan, one vision and one conversation, while harnessing all available resources,” he said.

Also speaking, the ICSA Project Lead, Dr Nihinlola Mabogunje, said immunisation coverage remains critically low in some states, dropping to as little as 20 per cent due to vaccine hesitancy. She explained that the project is designed to empower communities to demand quality child health services from state health authorities.

“This initiative is critical to improving health services at the community level. We must address low immunisation coverage and preventable illnesses such as malaria, which continue to claim the lives of young children,” she said, adding that the advocacy would be taken directly to mothers and caregivers to ensure no child is left behind.

Mabogunje added that the engagement is part of broader efforts to strengthen public health leadership, promote evidence-based advocacy, enhance intergovernmental coordination and secure sustainable financing for primary healthcare. She noted that the discussions would focus on practical steps states can take to improve last-mile service delivery and reinforce accountability to communities.

On his part, the Head of Mission at the Centre for Well-being and Integrated Nutrition Solutions (C-WINS), Dr Mahmud Mustafa, described the project as a strategic advocacy initiative, noting that the organisation has extensive experience implementing similar programmes nationwide.

Mustafa cited the successful nationwide introduction of the measles-rubella vaccination as an example of effective advocacy and said the consortium is well-positioned to implement comparable interventions across five states to improve child survival. He added that evidence generated through the project would be used to persuade state actors to prioritise child health.

One of the implementing partners in Kaduna and Katsina States, Lovelyn Agbor-Gabriel of ACOMIN, said stakeholder engagement had already commenced at the state level in preparation for full implementation. She noted that state authorities had been receptive and provided an enabling environment for the project.

Sokoto State Commissioner for Health, Dr Faruk Abubakar, said the state government is addressing factors responsible for high maternal and infant mortality, stressing the need for targeted strategies to reduce preventable deaths. He commended the Federal Ministry of Health and the ICSA project for supporting state-level interventions.

Also speaking, Kano State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mohammed Othman, said the influx of children lacking adequate care remains a major challenge in local government areas. He said the state is working to improve immunisation coverage, eliminate zero-dose children and collaborate with the consortium to improve child survival outcomes.