FG Launches 5-Year Health Security Plan

At the health security partners’ meeting in Abuja, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention introduced the five-year strategic and implementation plan called “Vision to Action.”

In 2022, an end-term review of the 2017-2022 strategy implementation was conducted by the NCDC, highlighting successes, challenges, and learnings that were used to develop the newly launched strategy.

The strategic plan incorporates a digital transformation agenda and aspirations for high-quality crosscutting public health informatics.

The plan aims to maintain the strong vision for the NCDC supported by well-defined principles and articulated implementation and delivery plans.

The five-year plan consists of seven goals, 41 objectives, and 225 activities involving the coordinated efforts of the FG, State and Local Government Areas, private sector, and development partners to enhance the nation’s public health security.

Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, the NCDC Director General, highlighted that the new strategy focuses on systems, scaling, and sustainability by leveraging the Strategic, Ambitious, Speed, and Scale approach to accelerate health security interventions in Nigeria, potentially serving as a model for other African countries.

Nigeria’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was also acknowledged by Dr. Adetifa, pointing out the country’s improvement in the Joint External Evaluation score from 39% in 2018 to 54% in 2023, as well as being the third country globally to conduct the second JEE.

The launch of the NCDC five-year strategic plan is intended to incorporate insights and recommendations from the second JEE to strengthen Nigeria’s health security.

To enhance public health core capabilities, the NCDC is committed to fortifying the protection of citizens from national to sub-national levels by strengthening surveillance, laboratory services, and response to outbreaks.

A performance management structure has been established to oversee and coordinate the execution of various initiatives to assess NCDC’s progress toward achieving its strategic goals.

This framework will prioritize and align efforts across the agency’s departments and divisions, enabling developmental partners to collaborate in protecting the health of Nigerians against emerging public health threats and evolving challenges.