Stakeholders from government institutions, civil society, and public health agencies have validated the health security accountability framework designed to promote responsible health financing and equitable access to life-saving vaccines.
This was the highlight of the Validation Meeting for the Accountability Framework and Scorecard on Health Security, held on Thursday in Abuja.
Science Nigeria reports that the Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HERFON), a non-governmental organisation focused on health sector reforms, collaborated with Gem Hub Initiative and the Vaccine Network for Disease Control to organise the meeting.
Executive secretary of HERFON and a lead convener of the initiative, Dr. Celestine Okorie described the event as a pivotal moment in Nigeria’s health accountability journey.
“Today marks a significant milestone in our ability to foster improved transparency, promote responsible financing, and ensure equitable access to vaccines and health security,” he said. “This project, generously funded by the African Health Budget Network and implemented by several partners, represents a bold collaborative stride towards achieving accessible, affordable and accountable health systems.”
According to him, the initiative has, over the past two decades, tracked investments in health security and advocated for improved access among vulnerable populations. He noted that the validated framework is expected to further unify stakeholders in refining strategies and tracking the use of public funds in health-related interventions.
From the public health emergency response perspective, Dr. Fatima Abubakar of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) praised the framework’s alignment with national goals.
“As Nigeria’s public health institute, we value accountability platforms such as this. They help improve funding outcomes, especially in preparedness and budgeting. We’ve seen improvements from previous assessments and we hope this initiative will lead to more impactful results over time,” she said.
A director at the National Biosecurity Management Agency (NBMA), Dr. Agha Ukpai Agha pledged full support for the initiative and underscored the critical role of biosecurity in the country’s public health landscape.
“This meeting is very important, not only for public health but also for biosecurity. Anything you are doing in biosafety and biosecurity, please invite us. When we work together, our nation becomes biosecure – and when the nation is biosecure, all Nigerians benefit,” he said.
From the fiscal governance angle, technical assistant to the director-general of the Budget Office of the Federation (BOF), Dr. Anayo Ike said the initiative complements the government’s budgeting philosophy.
“We don’t look at health issues in isolation. Health security cuts across sectors – environment, prevention, immunisation, and treatment. That’s why we support this initiative and will continue to work with you,” he said.
Ike highlighted progress in budgeting and tracking frameworks, especially for immunisation and expressed interest in applying similar tools to health security indicators.
“We’re looking at adapting line items specific to health security to simplify monitoring and performance tracking within the budget cycle,” he added.
Offering a civil society perspective, Budget Associate at the Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN), Sadiq Sani reaffirmed the network’s commitment to promoting transparency and citizen participation.
“Our core mandate is accountability, and that’s why AHBN is supporting this initiative. We hope all contributions here today will drive better outcomes in healthcare accessibility,” he said, also conveying greetings from the AHBN coordinator.
As the meeting concluded, a shared sentiment echoed across the room: transparency, equitable funding, and cross-sector collaboration are no longer optional – they are essential to securing the health of Nigeria’s population in a time of global uncertainty.
