The Global Health Advocacy Incubator has released a report of successful civil society health policy advocacy in Nigeria and other low-income countries. The documentation shows how strategic advocacy approaches led to significant increases in government health funding and improved policy implementation.
-- New documentation from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator reveals how Nigerian civil society organizations successfully increased government health funding through strategic advocacy, offering a blueprint for similar efforts across Africa.
Additional details are available at https://www.advocacyincubator.org/news/2025-03-14-opinion-civil-society-has-a-crucial-role-in-shaping-global-public-health
With U.S. foreign assistance in disarray and European governments pulling back on global development commitments, low-income countries face unprecedented pressure to finance their own health systems. External aid has historically accounted for roughly 30% of these countries' health budgets, making the shift toward domestic financing both urgent and challenging.
Reports continue emerging of mothers and babies losing access to lifesaving medications, malnourished children being denied therapeutic food, and efforts to prevent deadly diseases like malaria and cholera being abandoned due to funding cuts. In this context, the question of who will lead the successful transition to domestic health financing emerges.
According to this case study, Nigeria's civil society advocacy efforts achieved remarkable success in securing government commitment to health system strengthening. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) received domestic funding increases of more than 100 percent between 2019 and 2021, reaching a record 2.9 billion naira ($7.7 million). This represents a significant shift toward sustainable, country-owned health financing that reduces dependence on external donor support.
Global Health Advocacy Incubator's (GHAI) analysis identifies six key strategies that enabled successful advocacy outcomes in Nigeria. These include translating multiple forms of evidence for policy audiences, building effective coalitions across civil society groups, strategic framing of health issues, leveraging external events and opportunities, employing legal advocacy approaches, and strategically shifting between different policy forums to maximize influence.
"Civil society advocacy drives measurable change in health policy when organizations have the right tools and strategic support," a GHAI representative stated. "The Nigeria experience demonstrates how evidence-informed advocacy can secure government commitment to health system strengthening, even in challenging fiscal environments."
Recent implementation successes include Kano State's establishment of a dedicated budget line for epidemic preparedness and response following sustained civil society advocacy. The state government adopted a comprehensive Action Plan for Health Security with specific funding allocations, providing a model for other Nigerian states pursuing similar health policy advances.
The documentation reveals that successful health policy advocacy requires specific practitioner competencies. Research identifies seven essential skill areas: politically astute interpersonal skills, policy subject expertise, determination and resilience, autonomy, integrity, organizational permission for advocacy, and structured learning opportunities. Nigerian advocates demonstrated these competencies while adapting strategies to local political and cultural contexts.
The analysis confirms that successful health advocacy requires favorable conditions, including media attention, ministerial leadership, public support, and political backing - conditions that Nigerian civil society organizations systematically developed.
About the Global Health Advocacy Incubator
Based in Washington, D.C., the Global Health Advocacy Incubator partners with civil society and governments to advance health policy through strategic advocacy. Its programs span primary health care, epidemic preparedness, immunization, maternal and reproductive health, and broader health systems strengthening. Over the past decade, GHAI-supported policy wins have impacted more than 4 billion people across 32 countries.
For more information, visit https://www.advocacyincubator.org/news/2025-03-14-opinion-civil-society-has-a-crucial-role-in-shaping-global-public-health
Contact Info:
Name: Jen Patterson
Email: Send Email
Organization: Global Health Advocacy Incubator
Address: 1400 I Street Northwest Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20005, United States
Website: https://www.advocacyincubator.org/
Source: PressCable
Release ID: 89167740
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