The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has announced new reforms aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s primary healthcare system, boosting immunisation coverage, and reaching zero-dose children across Nigeria.
At the agency’s quarterly media briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, Executive Director and CEO, Muyi Aina said efforts are underway to reduce maternal and newborn deaths, improve PHC performance, and expand digital health tools.
Aina said the goal is to make at least 17,600 of Nigeria’s 30,000+ primary health centres fully functional, equipped, and staffed to deliver essential services. He added that the Federal Government has expanded the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, allowing PHCs to receive quarterly funds directly – ₦600,000 for low-volume centres and ₦800,000 for high-volume facilities. A full list of beneficiaries will be published by January 2026.
He noted that Nigeria has an estimated 2.1 million zero-dose children, prompting the rollout of the Identify, Enumerate, Vaccinate (IEV) strategy. Between July 2024 and October 2025, more than 500,000 zero-dose children were reached through targeted outreach and house-to-house mobilisation. Integrated campaigns now deliver multiple interventions, including polio, measles, HPV, and malaria prevention.
Aina highlighted the rollout of digital health records, real-time dashboards, multilingual e-learning platforms, and an electronic financial management system to enhance transparency. So far, over 70,000 frontline health workers have been trained and 27,000 community health workers recruited.
Responding to concerns about maternal mortality, immunisation gaps, HPV vaccination, and diphtheria outbreaks, Aina acknowledged the scale of preventable deaths but said government reforms target the core drivers. He noted that PHC services are also being expanded to include mental health and non-communicable diseases.
On diphtheria, he cited the 2023 NDHS finding of 53% Penta-3 coverage. “If 53% of children received the vaccine, 47% did not—and they remain susceptible”, he said.
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