Nigeria—EU Support to Immunisation Governance in Nigeria (EU-SIGN)

The EU Support to Immunisation Governance in Nigeria (EU-SIGN) project improved routine immunisation, maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) by protecting children and their mothers from diseases prevented by vaccines. Focused on strengthening the governance of immunisation programming and systems at national, state, and local government authority levels, EU-SIGN worked with stakeholders to shore up the systems and resource deployment necessary to improve routine immunization. It worked to align governance and accountability in immunisation with stewardship transformation in the Nigerian health care sector.

Funded by the European Union, the project strengthened the governance of routine immunisation at the federal level and across 23 states.

The project worked closely with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and its state counterparts to ensure sustainable quality routine immunisation services.

Conseil Sante, in partnership with DAI Global Health, managed the contract and provided technical assistance to the NPHCDA to support and enhance its capacity to effectively manage and utilize European Development Fund resources under the SIGN project.

Sample Activities

• Craft policies and guidelines for primary health care.
• Improve delivery of routine immunisation services via the primary health care system including building infrastructure, supporting transportation solutions, and updating necessary cold chain equipment.
• Improve information and knowledge generation for routine immunisation including operational or implementation research to drive policies and planning.
• Assist World Health Organisation-supported effort to accelerate the reduction in the wild polio virus transmission in Nigeria.

Select Results

• Supplied and installed 757 cold chain equipment and vaccine storage to improve the performance of the immunisation system.
• Trained 1,036 health workers and managers trained in inter-personal communication, a training to service providers designed to help to reduce immunisation drop-out rates.
• Deployed 29 four-wheel-drive vehicles for vaccine distribution and supervision, which enhanced the logistics for immunisation and became major assets in the distribution and delivery of vaccines and other health commodities.
• From 2015 to 2018 routine immunisation sessions increased by 441 percent in focal states.