ACOMIN urges communities to strengthen Community Health Development Committees
By: Femi Mustapha
A group, Civil Societies in Malaria, Immunization and Nutrition (ACOMIN) has charged Communities and Citizens in Kaduna State to strengthen community health development committees to drive household-level malaria prevention through improved net use, encouraging early testing, and improving health education within the communities.
Kaduna State Program Officer of ACOMIN, Nicodemus Ogidi, stated this during a press conference held in Kaduna today.
According to him, Nigeria has made commendable progress in the fight against malaria through efforts such as the distribution of Insecticide-Treated Nets (ITNs) and increased usage, improved diagnostics, increased availability and access to treatment, and community health education and interventions such as clearing and reduction of breeding sites.
He, however, said that with recent significant reduction in donor funding and an economic downturn, these gains are under threat
Mr.Ogidi expressed dismay that the fight against malaria in Nigeria is at a critical crossroads.
“With donor funding rapidly shrinking, we can no longer rely solely on external support to sustain the progress we’ve made. As such there is an urgent need to transition from a dependency-based model to one rooted in local ownership, self-sufficiency, and long-term resilience.
” By harnessing and mobilizing resources from within local communities, the following can be achieved”
He stressed that when communities invest in and take ownership of health initiatives, transparency and accountability improve.
People are more likely to monitor the effective use of resources and demand better service delivery.
Ogidi added that locally driven efforts also ensure interventions are inclusive and culturally relevant, as they are informed by the specific needs and realities of the communities they serve.
“Locally funded systems are inherently more resilient, as they are less vulnerable to changes in external aid.
They allow for faster, more flexible responses to stockouts, emergencies, and outbreaks, enabling timely and targeted interventions when they are most needed.
“This calls for civic responsibility, collective action, and sustainable development. Now is the time to invest in a malaria response system built by Nigerians, for Nigerians.”
Speaking on the role of the Global Fund and ACOMIN, he explained that to address persistent healthcare challenges, the Global Fund supports Nigeria with grants.
ACOMIN’s focus under the GC7 grant is on Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) project is on educating the communities on the relevance of healthcare services, empowering communities to identify service delivery gaps, advocating using data, actively participating in improving the quality-of-service provision at the facilities, mobilization of uptake of available services as well as domestic resources to sustain essential health services.
This includes promoting local engagement, accountability, and support for primary healthcare facilities.
However, due to recent funding cuts, the available resources are now significantly limited, which may affect the scope and reach of implementation.
“In light of this, the need for communities to take greater ownership of their healthcare systems has never been more urgent.
“The project is currently active in 13 states; Ogun, Delta, Osun, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Gombe, Yobe, Katsina, Adamawa, Taraba, Niger, and Jigawa covering 130 LGAs, 260 wards, and 260 health facilities. “
