A message from the Head of Mission, C-WINS
Welcome to the fourth edition of the C-WINS newsletter.
This edition comes at a time when Nigeria’s health sector is taking important steps towards strengthening healthcare delivery, improving health outcomes and advancing Universal Health Coverage. Across the country, conversations around health promotion, sustainable financing, community participation and primary healthcare reform continue to reinforce one important message: meaningful health system transformation must translate into better services and healthier lives for Nigerians.
On 29 October, Nigeria commemorated National Health Promotion Day under the theme, “Health Promotion: Owning My Health,” and the slogan, “Take Charge, Live Well.” The message reminds us that prevention is everyone’s responsibility. However, individuals and families can only make informed health choices when they have access to credible information, functional health facilities, essential medicines and responsive healthcare services. At C-WINS, we believe health promotion must go beyond awareness creation to strengthen the conditions that enable communities to protect their health.
This is equally reflected in our review of the first year of the Integrated Child Survival Advocacy at the Last Mile (ICSA) project. Working with ACOMIN and NANA Girls across Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi and Sokoto, C-WINS has supported advocacy for sustainable health financing, integrated primary healthcare services and stronger community accountability. The establishment of Local Health Advocacy and Accountability Teams in 118 local government areas, alongside more than 2,500 facility assessments, demonstrates the growing role communities can play in identifying service gaps and engaging decision-makers to address them.
We are encouraged by examples of communities mobilising resources to restore water supply, advocating for health worker recruitment and supporting improvements in health facilities. These experiences show that communities are not merely beneficiaries of healthcare interventions; they are important partners in shaping and sustaining them.
As Nigeria convenes its 2026 Health Sector Joint Annual Review (JAR) under the theme, “Together to Higher Grounds: Make Reform Data Count,” we see an important opportunity to strengthen this approach. The review should help stakeholders examine progress honestly, identify implementation bottlenecks and ensure that commitments are reflected in budgets, releases and measurable improvements in service delivery. The discussions on the Basic Health Care Provision Fund are particularly important in determining how pro-poor financing can reach vulnerable populations and support stronger primary healthcare services.
Other stories in this edition, including engagements with traditional and community leaders, advocacy for increased utilisation of health facilities and the distribution of essential medicines across communities, further demonstrate that improving health outcomes requires coordinated action at every level.
As an organisation, C-WINS remains committed to supporting government and partners to translate evidence into policy and action, strengthen community-led accountability, promote sustainable health financing and improve access to integrated, quality primary healthcare. We will continue to invest in strategic communication, research, learning and partnerships that amplify community voices and support practical solutions to health system challenges.
Our commitment is also to work alongside government institutions, development partners, civil society and community structures to ensure that interventions are not only implemented but sustained, monitored and responsive to the needs of the people they are designed to serve.
As you read this edition, we invite you to reflect on the progress made, the gaps that remain and the shared responsibility we have in building a stronger health system.
Together, we can move from commitments to action, and from action to lasting improvements in the health and wellbeing of every Nigerian.
Dr. Mahmud Mustafa
Head of Mission, C-WINS
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