AFENET Nigeria

19/09/2026

Community Engagement: Reaching Every Last Child

Driven by the commitment to reach every child with routine immunization (RI), the Consequential Geography (CG) Project, with technical and financial support from the US CDC, recently concluded a community engagement meeting in Katsina State. The meeting brought together influential persons, traditional and religious leaders, heads of households, caregivers, and other key stakeholders to strengthen dialogue, build trust, address concerns, and promote confidence in timely vaccination.

Beyond information sharing, the engagement provided a platform for listening, dialogue, and community ownership, while identifying and addressing barriers that may prevent children from accessing essential vaccines. Through these partnerships, the CG Project and state teams are strengthening community support for RI and moving closer to a shared goal: reaching every child, wherever they live, and leaving no child behind.

18/09/2026

Every child deserves the best protection against vaccine-preventable diseases.

Vaccinate today.

17/09/2026

Strengthening State-Level Preparedness for Vaccine-Related Events in Nigeria – Abuja Cluster

Building on momentum from the three-day sub-national training held in the Lagos and Kano clusters, the Abuja Cluster marks the final phase of the rollout of the Sub-National Training on Nigeria’s Vaccine-Related Events (VRE) Response Plan.

The training, which is taking place from 15–17 September 2026 in Abuja, brings together key state-level personnel from Abia, Anambra, Bayelsa, Benue, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, and the FCT.

Implemented by the Vaccine Safety Project, with technical and financial support from the U.S. CDC and in collaboration with NPHCDA and other key stakeholders, the training continues to strengthen practical preparedness and coordinated response at the sub-national level.

Through interactive presentations, practical exercises, and state-level action planning, participants are strengthening their capacity to:
🔹 Prepare for, detect, assess, investigate, and respond to VREs
🔹 Strengthen AEFI surveillance and rapid signal detection
🔹 Apply social listening to identify emerging vaccine-safety concerns and misinformation
🔹 Strengthen risk communication and community engagement during vaccine-related events
🔹 Improve multisectoral coordination and response at state level
🔹 Translate the National VRE Response Plan into practical, state-specific actions

As the rollout progresses across clusters, this Abuja training reinforces the shared goal of translating national guidance into state-specific action for stronger vaccine-safety systems.

By strengthening capacity across states and the FCT, the initiative is supporting more coordinated preparedness, timely response, and sustained public confidence in vaccination.

16/09/2026

Advancing Women's Health Equity in Nigeria

From 30 August to 10 September 2026, the AFENET Women's Health Equity Index (WHEI) project, funded by the Gates Foundation and implemented in collaboration with the NPHCDA and relevant state and local stakeholders, conducted a pilot study across four selected LGAs in Kano State to assess key dimensions of women's health equity.
Before field activities began, the team conducted advocacy visits to relevant stakeholders and trained 16 data collectors to ensure quality data collection and meaningful community engagement.
The pilot generated context-specific evidence on disparities in women's health, deepened understanding of the factors driving inequities, and supported more responsive health planning and decision-making.
Beyond data collection, the exercise provided an opportunity to listen to community perspectives and experiences, bringing women's realities closer to the evidence needed to shape better health interventions.
The findings will be shared at the state and national levels to promote data- and evidence-based action to advance women's health equity.
Improving health decisions begins with evidence.

15/09/2026

Diphtheria is a Vaccine-Preventable Disease. Vaccinate your child today!

11/09/2026

Strengthening Routine Immunization Data Quality in Katsina and Zamfara States

As part of ongoing efforts to improve RI data quality in Katsina and Zamfara States, the Consequential Geography (CG) Project, with technical and financial support from the US CDC, facilitated ward-level data validation sessions across both states.

The sessions brought together key stakeholders and frontline health workers to review, verify, validate, and harmonize immunization data from multiple sources. Through collaboration, careful cross-checking, and open discussion, participants identified and reconciled discrepancies, strengthening the reliability of data used for planning, resource allocation, and informed decision-making.

Behind every validated data point is a commitment to accuracy, teamwork, and attention to detail. More importantly, behind the data is a child who deserves timely access to life-saving immunization services.

Quality data is not just about numbers it is about making better decisions, reaching more children, and ensuring that no child is left behind.

10/09/2026

State-Level Preparedness for Vaccine-Related Events in Nigeria – Kano Cluster

The AFENET Vaccine Safety Project, implemented under the NSTOP Program, with technical and financial support from the U.S. CDC and in collaboration with NPHCDA and other relevant stakeholders, is supporting the Kano Cluster Sub-National Training on Nigeria’s Vaccine-Related Events (VRE) Response Plan, taking place from 8–10 September 2026 in Kano.

The three-day training brings together key state-level personnel from 13 states across the North-West and North-East geopolitical zones: Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe States.

Each participating state is represented by key personnel responsible for immunization, surveillance, outbreak response, and risk communication.

The training is facilitated by a multidisciplinary team of national technical experts and stakeholders, including representatives from NPHCDA, FMoHSW, NCDC, NAFDAC, NEC on Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI), AFENET, US CDC, and collaborating partners, including WHO, UNICEF, and CHAI.

Over the three days, participants will strengthen their practical knowledge and skills to prepare for, detect, assess, investigate, respond to, communicate about, recover from, and evaluate VREs, while strengthening multisectoral coordination and collaboration at state and Local Government Area levels.

Key focus areas include:
• Preparing for and detecting VREs, including AEFI surveillance, social listening, and early identification of potential vaccine-confidence threats.
• Assessing, investigating, coordinating, and responding to VREs once they are identified, with emphasis on timely escalation, clearly defined roles, and coordinated action.
• Risk communication, community engagement, recovery, and evaluation following a VRE to support transparency and sustain public confidence in vaccination.
• Applying the Nigeria VRE Response Plan through practical exercises and scenarios, enabling participants to translate national guidance into state-level preparedness and response actions.
• Strengthening multisectoral coordination, including linkages among immunization, surveillance, regulatory, communication, and emergency-response structures.

A key expected outcome of the training is the development of 12-month State VRE Action Plans for each of the 13 participating states, identifying priority preparedness and response gaps, specific actions, responsible stakeholders, implementation timelines, and expected outputs.

Through the Kano Cluster training, NPHCDA, AFENET/NSTOP, U.S. CDC, and collaborating government institutions and partners are advancing the national rollout of the VRE Response Plan, strengthening subnational vaccine-safety systems, improving preparedness and response readiness, and supporting sustained public confidence in vaccination across Nigeria.

09/09/2026

09/09/2026

2nd edition of the NSTOP Webinar ongoing: exploring innovative, results-driven strategies for delivering malaria and routine immunization vaccines in riverine and hard-to-reach communities.