3 weeks Ago By Appolonia Adeyemi
In a bid to curb vaccine-preventable diseases among newborns and children, Save the Children International (SCI) has partnered with the Lagos State Accountability Mechanism (LASAM) for Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition to launch a four-year programme aimed at reducing the number of zero-dose and under-immunised children in parts of Lagos and Kano States. The initiative, Better Opportunity for Optimal Services and Targeted Immunisation for Zero Dose and Under-Immunised Children (BOOST Project), will run from 2024 to 2027 and is funded by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The programme is being implemented by SCI in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and the health ministries of Lagos and Kano States.
Speaking at a one-day engagement workshop organised by SCI at the Dover Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos, on Wednesday, Lagos State Project Manager and Advocacy Coordinator for BOOST, Itunu Dave-Agboola, explained that the project explicitly targets zero-dose children—those who have never received any vaccine—and under-immunised children who have not completed their immunisation schedules. The BOOST Project in Lagos will focus on Alimosho and Ikorodu LGAs, while in Kano State, it will target Ungogo and Gezawa LGAs. A core component of the project involves working with LASAM to ensure sustainable funding, robust health workforce support, and policy development to boost immunisation coverage.
“By zero-dose children, we mean those who have never been vaccinated—they have not received a single dose of any vaccine. “Under-immunised children are those who did not complete the immunisation schedule,” Dave-Agboola noted. “Our focus is on reaching these vulnerable groups through targeted advocacy and collaboration,” she said.
Dave-Agboola stressed that the BOOST Project in Lagos is not just about vaccine administration, but about long-term sustainability. She highlighted the importance of engaging advocacy partners like LASAM to help create an enabling environment through improved policies, adequate funding, and strengthened human resources for immunisation services. In 2021, Nigeria accounted for over 2.
2 million zero-dose children—the second-highest globally. Alimosho LGA alone, the most populous in Lagos State, recorded over 35,000 zero-dose children—the highest number of any LGA nationwide. According to Dave-Agboola, a key component of the BOOST Project in Lagos State is the collaboration with LASAM to foster a sustainable environment for immunisation funding, adequate health workforce, and policies aimed at reducing the prevalence of zero-dose and under-immunised children.
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