Technical Assistance to the National Economic Council Ad-Hoc Committee on Polio Eradication (NEC-TA) Project
Funder: Gates Foundation
Client: Solina Health
Project location: Nigeria
Background
Nigeria was declared free of wild poliovirus in 2020 after sustained national and sub-national efforts. But soon after, the emergence of new strains of the vaccine-derived poliovirus in northern states, threatened these gains. Transmission risks were driven by several factors including operational challenges, uneven political prioritization, delayed financing, and coordination gaps among high-risk states. In 2024, Nigeria’s National Economic Council (NEC) led by the Vice President set up the NEC Ad-hoc Committee on Polio Eradication, with the Governor of Gombe State as the chair, to bring together governors from five high-risk states (Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara), the Office of the Vice President, the Federal Ministry of Health, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, and representatives of development partners to provide political leadership and intergovernmental coordination to strengthen the national polio response and maintain momentum toward eradication.
Project Objectives and Approach
The project seeks to keep polio eradication at the forefront of Nigeria’s political agenda, mobilize resources, and increase accountability that ensures children everywhere are reached with vaccines through timely well-coordinated delivery of vaccination campaigns across high-risk states.
Development Delivery Partners (DDP), working with Solina Health, provides technical and advocacy support to the NEC Secretariat situated within the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning. This includes planning and facilitating the conduct of Committee meetings with high attendance of Governors and other Committee members, documenting and tracking meeting commitments and utilize individuals embedded within the Governors’ teams to facilitate the actualization of the commitments made, and preparing the Chair of the Committee to provide updates to the Vice President and the NEC during routine council meetings. By strengthening coordination, accountability and follow-through at the highest levels of government, the project ensures that polio eradication is not just a health effort but a national development and governance priority.
Results
In 2025, the NEC-TA project drove measurable progress in coordination and campaign execution. Governors from the committee states held 80% of planned monthly meetings with an average quorum of 85%, creating a consistent platform for peer accountability and rapid problem-solving. These engagements supported the 100% release of counterpart funds for national immunization plus days (NIPDs) and the National Integrated MR-HPV-Polio campaign, reducing delays that had previously undermined coverage. DDP’s support has also elevated polio as a sustained leadership priority, with polio updates firmly established as a standard agenda item in 100% of routine NEC meetings (Nigeria’s highest intergovernmental decision-making body) chaired by the Vice President since July 2025.
Nationally, detections of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) declined by 38%, from 118 cases in 2024 to 73 in 2025. Kano and Katsina recorded the most dramatic reductions, at 90% and 88% respectively. Campaign quality also improved significantly. During the October 2025 integrated campaigns, vaccination coverage exceeded 90% in multiple states, reaching 95% for polio and 92% for measles-rubella nationally. Settlement reach surpassed 95% in Kano and Sokoto, ensuring that millions of children were protected.
DDP’s support has enabled sustained political prioritization that is strengthening accountability, reinforcing momentum, and supporting Nigeria’s continued drive toward the complete eradication of the virus.
Funders and Partnership Acknowledgement
This project is funded by the Gates Foundation and implemented by Solina Health and Development Delivery Partners (DDP) in collaboration with the NEC Secretariat in the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning as well as the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and state-level health and non-health teams across the five high-risk states and Gombe States.
This initiative is further supported by partners including the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Aliko Dangote Foundation, WHO, and UNICEF, whose combined financial, technical, and advocacy efforts underpin sustained progress toward polio eradication in Nigeria.
