Despite Nigeria’s success in polio eradication, gaps remain in routine immunization, zero-dose identification, and Primary Health Care (PHC) strengthening, especially with declining donor funding. Without sustained leadership and collaboration, hard-won gains could be reversed. On February 7, 2025, the SCIDaR team, led by our CEO, Dr. Uchenna Igbokwe paid an advocacy visit to the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, and his team at the UN House, Abuja to explore ways to sustain progress in polio eradication, bolster routine immunization, and improve primary healthcare access. The discussions reinforced the need for a unified approach; one plan, one budget, and one report, aligned with national priorities. There was also a strong push for deeper collaboration on key programs like Polio Outbreak Response (POBR), Routine Immunization (RI) Zero Dose, SPARK, and SARMAAN, as well as capability mapping to prevent duplication of efforts and to expand partnerships beyond polio, particularly in the Lake Chad Basin. Stronger partnerships mean more children immunized, more resilient health systems, and a future where preventable diseases no longer threaten lives. The work continues, because sustainability is the real success. #SCIDaRImpact #PolioEradication #RoutineImmunization #StrongerHealthSystems #HealthSustainability

15 years of insights, innovation and impact. 15 years of learning what it takes to turn ideas into solutions that improve lives. As we celebrate Solina@15, we are reflecting not only on what we have achieved, but also on how the knowledge and lessons gained along the way can help others tackle similar development challenges. Through the SCIDaR Data Repository System (DRS) and our Portfolio of Lessons Learnt (PoLL), we are making evidence, practical insights and lessons from implementation more accessible to those working to drive change. Beyond what we have achieved, the value of our experience also lies in what others can learn from it, adapt and build upon. Explore the resources: 🔗 Data Repository System (DRS): [drs.scidar.org/](drs.scidar.org/) 🔗 Portfolio of Lessons Learnt (PoLL):[drs.scidar.org/share/7XuGtSZ…) #SolinaAt15 #SCIDaR #InsightsInnovationImpact #KnowledgeSharing

Ending polio for good goes beyond vaccination. It takes a coordinated and sustained response. Across Africa, governments and health partners are working to stop polio transmission, reach children missed by immunisation and strengthen the systems needed to detect and respond to outbreaks. This requires effective surveillance, strong campaign planning, quality assurance and continued investment in routine immunisation. Angola’s 4th Round of National Integrated Vaccination Campaign, running from 23 to 27 October, is one example of this effort in action. Led by the Government of Angola, the campaign aims to reach more than 10.9 million children with vaccines against polio, measles-rubella and yellow fever. Solina supports this work on the ground. Through our Polio Outbreak Response (POBR) work in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad and Nigeria, we work alongside government health authorities and partners to strengthen campaign readiness, monitor implementation quality, identify gaps in vaccination coverage and support timely corrective action. In Angola, this includes coordinating independent monitoring and Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS), as well as documenting lessons from campaign reviews to inform improvements in future vaccination activities. These processes are critical to ensuring that vaccination campaigns translate into effective action, that missed children are identified and reached, and that gaps in implementation are addressed. Ending polio for good demands sustained commitment beyond individual campaigns. Solina remains committed to supporting governments in Nigeria and across Africa to strengthen polio outbreak response, interrupt transmission and protect every child. #WorldPolioDay #EndPolio #EndPolioForGood #PolioOutbreakResponse #Immunisation #PublicHealth #Solina #HealthSystemsStrengthening

Meet Anjolaoluwa Ayodele, Associate Principal at SCIDaR. She shares what it takes to excel at SCIDaR and, if we’re being honest, pretty much anywhere else too. From being good at what you do and staying open to learning, to adapting to change, collaborating across teams, and understanding the culture of where you work, Anjola breaks down the qualities that help you thrive and go beyond expectations. Think you have what it takes? You just might be here next 👀 #SCIDaRImpact #WhatItTakesToExcelAtSCIDaR

Fifteen years of solving problems, building knowledge, and making impact count. Here’s a look at what that journey has made possible. Over the past fifteen years, Solina has expanded its reach across African countries, contributed to institutional and global knowledge through research and conference abstracts, developed knowledge products, supported government stakeholders, and partnered with national and international organisations to drive meaningful change. Behind these milestones is a commitment to research and collaboration that is rooted in people-centred solutions. Fifteen years of quality work, with even more possibilities ahead. Here’s to the next chapter! #SolinaAt15 #PublicHealth #Africa #SCIDaRImpact

At the 2026 Social Norms Conference, *Slum2Stage* Africa will present a pantomime performance titled The Price of Standing Out, exploring conformity, resistance, intergenerational norms and collective change. Through visual storytelling, the performance will explore the relationship between individual choices and societal expectations, highlighting how deeply rooted norms can influence behaviour and what it means to challenge them. 🎭 *Session Title: The Price of Standing Out* 📅 *Date: October 29, 2026* ⏰ *Time: 10:00–10:10 AM* 📍 *Venue: Abuja Continental Hotel, Abuja* 👉 *REGISTER NOW:* snalc.scidar.org/2026-sn-con… Don't miss it! #SNConference2026 #10DaysToGo #SocialNorms #SNALC #AWALC #NormsInShiftingLandscapes

🎨 *Join Us for A Post-Conference Art Festival!* After two days of conversations around the practice, and impact of social norms work across West Africa, the *2026 Social Norms Conference* is taking the conversation beyond panels and presentations into a space where creativity, expression and shared experiences take center stage! Join us for the *Festival of Reflection, Creativity & Collective Wellbeing* ; an afternoon of creative exploration featuring spoken word performances, music, creative skills studios and hands-on activities. 📅 *Date: October 31, 2026* ⏰ *Time: 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM* 📍 *Location: Abuja, Nigeria* ⏳ Registration closes October 26, 2026. 👉 REGISTER NOW: bit.ly/SNC2026artfestival Let's get creative with norms programming! #SNConference2026 #SocialNorms #ArtFestival

Economic empowerment can open up new opportunities for women and girls, but access to resources alone does not guarantee the freedom to shape their own futures. What role do social norms play in bridging that gap? At the 2026 Social Norms Conference, the Nigeria for Women Project (NFWP) will host a film screening exploring how social norms shape women’s economic empowerment, their ability to exercise their agency, and their power to drive collective change. The film will bring these dynamics to life, showing how social norms shape women’s experiences, influence the choices available to them and how we strengthen women’s agency moving forward. 📽️ Session Title: Shifting Social Norms to Advance Women’s Economic Empowerment, Agency, and Collective Action in Nigeria 📅 Date: October 30, 2026 📍 Venue: Abuja Continental Hotel, Abuja Join us at the 2026 Social Norms Conference to explore how shifting social norms can help women move beyond economic opportunity to greater agency, voice and collective action. 👉 REGISTER NOW: snalc.scidar.org/2026-sn-con… #SNConference2026 #SocialNorms #WomensEconomicEmpowerment #GenderEquality #SNALC #AWALC #NormsInShiftingLandscapes

Every girl deserves the freedom to learn, grow, make decisions about her life and shape her own future. Yet, for millions of girls, child marriage continues to threaten these possibilities, limiting their access to education, opportunities and the right to make choices about their futures. This year’s International Day of the Girl Child, themed “End child marriage and invest in girls’ rights!”, calls for more than awareness. It calls for action to challenge the harmful social norms that perpetuate inequality and strengthen the systems that protect girls’ rights and expand their opportunities. At SCIDaR, this work includes strengthening how gender equality is considered in our programmes and institutional practices through the Sustaining Action for Gender Equality (SAGE) project. Through the Social Norms and Agency Learning Collaborative (SNALC), we also support evidence generation, knowledge sharing and collaboration to improve how programmes address social norms and strengthen individual and community agency. These efforts reflect an important part of advancing gender equality: building the knowledge, capacity and systems needed to challenge harmful norms and create more equitable outcomes for women and girls. Ending child marriage requires collective action. It means protecting girls’ rights, investing in their potential and ensuring that every girl has the opportunity to determine her own future. #DayOfTheGirl #GirlsRights #EndChildMarriage #GenderEquality #SCIDaRImpact

World Mental Health Day highlights the importance of mental health as a key part of overall well-being, deserving of the same attention and care as physical health. From individuals and families to workplaces and communities, everyone has a role to play in creating environments where people feel safe to speak up, seek support, and access the care they need without fear of stigma or judgement. Let’s continue to build a culture where mental health is taken seriously, support is accessible, and no one has to navigate their struggles alone. #WorldMentalHealthDay #MentalHealthMatters #SCIDaRImpact

Yesterday, Her Excellency, Hajiya Zulaihat Dikko Radda, First Lady of Katsina State and Chairperson of the North West Governors’ Wives Forum, hosted SCIDaR, the Gates Foundation and the Aliko Dangote Foundation to discuss opportunities to improve maternal and child health outcomes in Katsina State. Field insights and surveys continue to show that gender and social barriers can limit women’s access to quality maternal health services and affect whether children receive the full range of health, nutrition and immunisation services they need to grow and thrive. Katsina State is already taking important steps to address these challenges, from community advocates referring women for antenatal care to nutrition support, free birth kits, advocacy for polio and routine immunisation, and initiatives that expand economic opportunities for women, including moringa farming. Building on these efforts, we are excited to kick-start a partnership with the Office of the First Lady through the Community Reorientation Women Network (CRoWN) initiative. Together, we will strengthen linkages to health and social services for women, children and their families; build trust within communities; and support positive human capital outcomes across Katsina State and the wider North West region. We appreciate Her Excellency’s commitment to advancing the health and wellbeing of women and children, championing CRoWN, and mobilising stakeholders around this shared agenda. We look forward to translating this partnership into measurable improvements in the lives of women, children and families. #Katsina #WomenAndChildren #MaternalHealth #Nutrition #Immunisation #CRoWN #PrimaryHealthCare #NigeriaHealth