Project Summary
In Nigeria, a vast country of over 120 million inhabitants, Transaid is working as part of a consortium of international organisations to improve immunisation in four of the poorest states - Jigawa, Yobe, Katsina and Zamfara – all of which have very little immunisation coverage.
When a development project fails to accomplish its goals and objectives, inadequate or poor access to transport is often cited as the cause. However, the role of transport management is often overlooked, even though almost every intervention depends on some form of transportation.
The Process
Transaid was asked to become involved in the Partnership for Reviving Routine Immunisation in Northern Nigeria (PRRINN). In this project, the cold chain and related transportation is absolutely vital for making vaccines more readily available and improving immunisation coverage in the target areas. Transaid was therefore tasked to undertake an assessment on the supply side to analyse the current transport situation and existing resources in each state, and how they can be best utilised to help achieve the aims of the project.
Stage 1
The initial assessment which was carried out in Autumn 2007 revealed that the four state Ministries of Health are very poorly resourced, and much of what they have is not in working order (e.g. less than 200 functions vehicles covering 2,500 health facilities that serve 16 million people). In addition there were no evident transport management system to help them optimise the use of transport to help achieve the goals and objectives of increasing immunisation coverage.
Stage 2
Following the assessment Transaid was tasked to develop operational guidelines and transport policy with the Ministries in each of the States. Two regional and one national consultant were deployed to work together with all the relevant stakeholders in each State to develop the policy. A technical working group was established and conducted consultations at Federal, State and Local Government Authority (LGA) levels and data was collected and collated. Transaid has now completed this phase of the project. The policy is agreed and along with recommendations on training and implementation.
Stage 3
Transaid is now planning the training phase which will be spread over a 12 month period, and this is then likely to be be followed by a period of monitoring and support.
See also:
• Nigeria, Emergency Transport System for Pregnant Women, PRRINN-MNCH Update, Oct. 2009
• Nigeria, Training of Ambulance Driver Trainers, Yobe State, PRRINN-MNCH Update, August 2009
• Nigeria, Training of Transport and Health Officers, Zamfara State, PRRINN Update - May, 2009
• Nigeria, Jigawa State, Safe Motherhood Emergency Transport Scheme, 2005-2006
• Nigeria, Increasing access to healthcare for mothers and children, PRRINN - MNCH Update – April 2009
• Nigeria, Programme for Reviving Routine Immunization in Four Northern States, 2007 – 2011
