The federal government and other stakeholders have applauded the impact of Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria project on maternal health, disease prevention and other health priority areas of the country.
They gave the commendation in Abuja during the Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria national learning and transition event.
It was themed, 'Celebrating Successes, Consolidating Learning, Transitioning for Sustainability.'
Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria is a USAID flagship Social and Behavior Change (SBC) project that has been implementing transformational social behaviour change interventions in Nigeria since 2018.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, said the project has been a beacon of innovation and dedication in health communication and behavioral change, adding that the tireless efforts have reached millions, fostering healthier practices and empowering communities with vital knowledge that will generate the right health behaviour for good health.
Represented by the Director, Family Health Department, Dr Binyerem Ukaire, he said the ministry , particularly the Department of Family Health, believes that SBC for the right healthy behavior is very critical to achieving health goals and targets.
He said the impact of the project in combating diseases, promoting reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health including nutrition and encouraging healthier lifestyles is truly commendable.
Project Director Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria, Dr. Shittu Abdu-Aguye said at a total investment of more than $100 million dollars over seven years, the project was the largest social and behavior country programme ever funded by USAID/Nigeria.
He said, " In Nigeria the project has worked to improve the practice of priority health behaviors across multiple program areas including - maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH), family planning (FP), nutrition, malaria, tuberculosis, COVID-19 and priority zoonotic diseases (PZDs)."
He further said it has also transformed the landscape for SBC program implementation in the 12 interventions states.
USAID HPN Deputy Director, Suegatha Kai-Rennie said globally and in Nigeria, USAID is at the forefront of SBC research and programming.
She said, "We recognize that health outcomes are best improved when service provision interventions are complemented by those that increase the health-seeking behaviors of individuals and communities, and address the norms that underpin those behaviors"
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She said the organization's support through Breakthrough ACTION Nigeria reached over 17 million Nigerians through the multi-channel mix,, including over 7.8 million children under the age of five and over 600,000 pregnant women with evidence-based, contextually relevant lifesaving health prevention, care, and treatment messages.
"In addition, over 2.3 million community to facility referrals for health services were issued and over 1.2 million of those referrals completed with beneficiaries receiving family planning, maternal and child health, malaria, and nutrition services," Kai-Rennie said.
The national coordinator of the National Malaria Elimination Program, Dr Godwin Ntadom said SBC is crucial on efforts to eliminate malaria in the country, adding that it will be good the impact of the partnership with Breakthrough ACTION Nigeria is continued and sustained not just for malaria but other areas.
The Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) Dr Jide Idris who was represented by the director, research planning and statistics of the agency, Dr Sikiru Badaru said the project provided a platform for the NCDC to shore up community engagement for people to understand why they should protect themselves against diseases.
