Maryam Aminu
Connected Development (CODE), a leading civil society organisation promoting social accountability and citizen participation in governance, has launched a new initiative aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s health security architecture through improved transparency and accountability in public financing.
The project, titled “Tracking BHCPF NCDC Gateway Funds for Strengthening Health Security in Nigeria (Project Track – BHCPF),” focuses on monitoring the utilisation of funds disbursed through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) gateway under the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF). The initiative is an analysis and capstone project of the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, supported by Resolve to Save Lives, and led by Hyeladzira James Mshelia and Abdulazeez Abdulmalik Hussaini.
The BHCPF remains Nigeria’s primary domestic financing mechanism for strengthening the national health system. Within this structure, the NCDC gateway is the only channel that directly supports disease surveillance, outbreak response, laboratory systems, and emergency coordination. Despite the introduction of the enhanced BHCPF 2.0 framework in October 2025, which reinforced performance and accountability standards, public access to information on NCDC gateway disbursements and utilisation remains limited.
CODE noted that this lack of transparency poses a significant challenge, as Nigeria’s epidemic preparedness and response capacity depends heavily on sustained and well-managed domestic financing for health security.
Project Track – BHCPF seeks to close critical accountability and evidence gaps that undermine effective epidemic preparedness. While domestic funding commitments have increased in recent years, CODE observed that limited utilisation data continues to weaken performance assessment and constrain evidence-based policy advocacy.
Over a six-month period, from January to June 2026, the project will generate actionable evidence to support improved oversight, institutional learning, and sustained investment in health security.
The initiative will deploy CODE’s widely recognised #FollowTheMoney accountability methodology, combining Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, policy and guideline reviews, administrative data analysis, and a focused sub-national case study to assess preparedness outcomes. Advocacy activities will include the development of policy briefs aligned with national budget and oversight cycles, structured engagement with key decision-makers, and strategic media collaboration to strengthen public accountability.
Key stakeholders for the project include the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Ministerial Oversight Committee on BHCPF, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, State Ministries of Health, Emergency Operations Centres, as well as civil society and media partners.
According to CODE, the project is expected to deliver measurable outcomes such as improved transparency in NCDC gateway disbursements, independent evidence to support oversight and performance assessment, stronger data-driven advocacy for domestic health security financing, and a replicable accountability framework for tracking health security investments across the country.
Describing the initiative as timely and strategic, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Connected Development, Hyeladzira James Mshelia, said the project goes beyond funding considerations.
“This is a timely response to the critical need for transparency and accountability in how domestic resources for epidemic preparedness are utilised. Strengthening health security is not only about funding; it is about accountability, learning, and impact,” Mshelia said.
With the launch of Project Track – BHCPF, Connected Development reaffirmed its commitment to advancing transparency, accountability, and citizen-driven oversight in Nigeria’s health sector, while ensuring that investments in health security translate into tangible preparedness and resilience outcomes nationwide.
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