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𝗟𝗮𝗴𝗼𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗔 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗭𝗲𝗿𝗼-𝗗𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮 In a powerful display of regional solidarity and legislative will, lawmakers from Bauchi, Borno, Kano, and Sokoto States, alongside their counterparts in the National Assembly, have committed to tackling the long-standing crisis of zero-dose children in Nigeria. At the heart of this commitment is the “𝙇𝙖𝙜𝙤𝙨 𝘿𝙚𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣,” born from a high-level legislative retreat held from July 18–19, 2025, under the Zero Dose Learning Hub (ZDLH) project. The retreat brought together health and appropriation committee members, as well as Primary Healthcare Executive Chairmen/Secretaries, to examine critical barriers to immunization and chart sustainable solutions for reaching Nigeria’s most vulnerable populations. The deliberations during the retreat revealed alarming gaps, including gender barriers, low vaccine uptake due to socio-cultural and logistical challenges, and the lack of governing boards in some State Primary Health Care Development Agencies/Boards. These issues have contributed to Nigeria’s troubling position among the top five countries globally with the highest number of zero-dose children. Among the concrete steps agreed upon is the institution of quarterly legislative oversight visits to monitor the timely release and effective utilization of immunization funds. This will be complemented by strategic engagement with local government chairpersons and lawmakers in ZDLH-supported LGAs to review findings from recent field surveys. The retreat also fostered an environment for cross-state learning and experience-sharing, where participants co-created evidence-based recommendations tailored to the unique realities of their states, an essential move towards fostering accountability and local ownership. As momentum builds from the Lagos Declaration, the focus now turns to implementation. Stakeholders are optimistic that the commitments made will translate into real improvements on the ground, especially with the renewed involvement of the National Assembly and state parliaments. The retreat may well mark a turning point, one that moves Nigeria closer to ensuring that every child, regardless of location or circumstance, has access to life-saving vaccines and a healthier future.

🏛️ 𝗭𝗗𝗟𝗛 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 🗓️ 18𝑡ℎ 𝐽𝑢𝑙𝑦, 2025 📌 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑒: 𝐿𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑠𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑃𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑝𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑍𝑒𝑟𝑜-𝐷𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝐶ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑛 The Zero Dose Learning Hub (ZDLH) kicked off its Legislative Retreat in Lagos, bringing together key actors from both the legislative and health sectors. Declaring the retreat open was Hon. Amos Gwamna Magaji, Chairman, House Committee on Healthcare Services, and Member representing Zangon Kataf/Jaba Federal Constituency. The retreat aims to create a platform where Executive Chairmen and Secretaries of State Primary Healthcare Development Agencies can engage directly with federal and state lawmakers from the four ZDLH states: Bauchi, Borno, Kano, and Sokoto, to explore ways of improving immunization outcomes. Discussions focused on how legislators can support improved funding, timely releases, and better use of immunization resources to reduce the number of zero-dose children. Beyond just budget approval and releases, the retreat also emphasized the need for legislators to actively carry out their oversight functions, following the money to the point of implementation at healthcare facilities. This is key to ensuring that resources truly reach the communities they’re meant to serve.

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Check out this article: Lagos Declaration: Lawmakers launch push to cut zero-dose numbers - healthreporters.info/lagos-declarat…. @AHBNetwork @AminuMagashiG @gavi @HeidiWReynolds @Fmohnigeria @AfenetNigeria @PMNCH

*Day 2 of the ZDLH Legislative Retreat:* Ongoing group discussions are taking place with the Executive Chairmen and Secretaries of the State Primary Healthcare Development Agencies, alongside members of the legislature. The focus is on fostering collaboration to improve both

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Last week, Samasha, in collaboration with @AHBNetwork (AHBN) Nigeria, paid a high-level advocacy visit to the Kano State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (KASCHMA). The visit aimed to strengthen collaboration on Family Planning (FP) and Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH), while promoting transparency and accountability in healthcare service delivery. These joint efforts reflect a shared commitment to advancing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and tracking progress toward #FP2030 goals in both Nigeria and Uganda. KASCHMA’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Rahila Mukhtar, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to reproductive health, noting that FP services are now being scaled across both primary and secondary healthcare levels to improve access and outcomes. #AccelerateMNCH #FP2030 #MotionTrackerApproach

𝗔𝗛𝗕𝗡 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵, 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁 & 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 On May 20, 2025, the Coordinator of the Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN) Dr. Aminu Magashi Garba and Amina Haladu Mohammed participated in the Sector Dialogue on Health, Social Protection, and Population which was held at the Conference Hall of the Ministry of Budget and National Planning as part of the preparations for the upcoming bilateral consultations between the Governments of Nigeria and Germany. During the discussions, the AHBN team emphasized the importance of engaging the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) Coordination Office in Nigeria to ensure dedicated budgetary allocations for the procurement of family planning commodities. This, they noted, is essential for sustaining gains in contraceptive prevalence rate and addressing recurring stockouts. AHBN also underscored the need to strengthen accountability mechanisms for the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF) and health security to improve transparency and result.

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The Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN), led by Dr. Aminu Magashi Garba, was honored to welcome Professor Saleh Yuguda, the Director General of the National Blood Service Agency (NBSA), to the AHBN building. During the brief informal visit on May 13, 2025, the duo had a productive discussion on advocacy plans, progress made so far, and strategic ways AHBN can support the progressive growth of the NBSA. Their shared vision is to strengthen Nigeria’s blood service system to ensure safe, affordable, and accessible blood for all Nigerians. This collaboration highlights the importance of partnerships in improving healthcare delivery and saving lives. We look forward to a strong and sustained partnership with the NBSA.

𝗔 𝗩𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵: 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗻𝗼 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗔𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗭𝗲𝗿𝗼-𝗗𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲 On May 19th, 2025, the Zero Dose Learning Hub (ZDLH) team paid a high-level advocacy visit to 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘰𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘛𝘢𝘩𝘪𝘳 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘰, 𝘌𝘴𝘲., Chief Whip of the 10th Senate, who represents Borno North Senatorial District at the National Assembly office in Abuja. The ZDLH consortium present at the visit included representatives from: • 𝗔𝗙𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗧: Dr. Endi Waziri, Prof. Yahaya Mohammed, and Dr. Hyelshilni Waziri. • 𝗔𝗛𝗕𝗡: Dr. Aminu Magashi Garba, Hon. Muhammad Usman, Miss Amina Haladu and Sadiq Malami. During the visit, the ZDLH team expressed appreciation to Senator Monguno for granting the audience and provided an overview of the ZDLH project, highlighting key challenges and notable success stories. The team also formally requested the Senator to serve as a 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘐𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘦 (𝘗𝘏𝘊). In response, Senator Monguno thanked the team for broadening his understanding of the immunization landscape. He assured the delegation of his willingness to support the ZDLH project in every possible way, including the possibility of proposing legislative amendments if necessary. He also expressed readiness to provide constituency budgetary support for Routine Immunization (RI) in Borno North through his constituency fund. In his words: "𝙄 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙄𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙢𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚."

𝗔𝗛𝗕𝗡: Dr. @AminuMagashiG , Hon. Muhammad Usman, Miss Amina Haladu and Sadiq Sani Malami. During the visit, the ZDLH team expressed appreciation to Senator Monguno for granting the audience and provided an overview of the ZDLH project, highlighting key challenges.

📉 14.5M children each year go without a single vaccine dose, putting millions of lives at risk. 💉 Immunization is one of the smartest, most cost-effective ways to prevent child deaths. 📝 As #WorldImmunizationWeek ends, read this @PLOSGPH piece by @EtienneVincentL, @GiuliaGasparri_ & @PMNCH ED @khosla_rajat on prioritizing immunization and essential child health services in times of fiscal constraints. 👇 journals.plos.org/globalpubliche… @ChildHealthTF @WHO @UNICEF @gavi

@NRC_Norway @NationalEMR @save_children @DrTedros @DrSalmaAnas @Fmohnigeria