Abuja – The European Union’s Support to Public Health Institutes in Nigeria (EU SPIN) was launched on Monday, marking the establishment of a new partnership among the EU, the World Health Organization (WHO), and various development agencies. This initiative aims to strengthen Nigeria’s public health system.
In his opening remarks, WHO Representative in Nigeria, Pavel Ursu, highlighted the ongoing challenges within the country’s health sector. He pointed out that Nigeria is facing recurring infectious disease outbreaks, low immunization rates, and an increasing burden of non-communicable diseases. The EU SPIN initiative will adopt a “Team Europe” approach, which coordinates EU funding, WHO technical support, and the efforts of other partners in collaboration with Nigerian authorities.
Currently, Nigeria is managing four active outbreaks: Lassa fever, diphtheria, cholera, and meningitis, all of which are being addressed through an Incident Management System. Surveillance efforts have also been intensified for dengue, measles, monkeypox, and yellow fever, while poliovirus transmission continues in the northeast and northwest regions. Ursu noted that although cases of vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 have decreased from over 700 in 2021 to 117 in 2025, there have already been 27 reported cases this year, including seven orphan strains.
The launch of EU SPIN underscored significant immunization gaps in the country. According to the 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, only 39% of children aged 12-23 months were fully vaccinated with basic antigens, and 31% had not received any vaccines at all.
Ursu emphasized the need to strengthen “Essential Public Health Functions,” which encompass disease surveillance, emergency preparedness, laboratory capacity, health promotion, workforce development, regulatory frameworks, and data-driven decision-making. He described EU SPIN as a timely and strategic intervention that will aid Nigeria in building a more preventive, predictive, and people-centered public health architecture. This initiative will also support the implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005) and the Pandemic Accord adopted by the World Health Assembly.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, echoed the urgency of the situation, describing Nigeria’s disease burden as “significant and complex.” He identified malaria, tuberculosis, HIV, and recurrent epidemic threats, alongside non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cancers, and mental health conditions, as major pressures on the health system. Salako further noted that maternal, newborn, and child health indicators remain unacceptably high in several regions, exacerbated by climate change, rapid urbanization, and population growth.
Nigeria’s public health infrastructure comprises over 30,000 primary health centers, 4,000 secondary facilities, and more than 200 tertiary institutions. Salako cautioned that the mere existence of these facilities does not guarantee health security without coordinated strategies for prevention, early warning, and rapid response.
The government’s Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), which includes a digital transformation agenda, will intersect with EU SPIN. Salako stated that this project is expected to enhance efforts to create interoperable digital health infrastructure and a national health-information exchange, building on the Nigeria Digital in Health Initiative. Additional focus areas will include workforce development, laboratory strengthening, emergency preparedness, and improving electricity supply to health facilities.
“The success of the project will depend on strong national ownership, effective partnerships, and sustainability plans,” Salako said, urging federal and state agencies, development partners, academia, and civil society groups to ensure that EU SPIN becomes a lasting contribution rather than a short-lived intervention.
In summary, EU SPIN represents a coordinated, multi-partner effort to address Nigeria’s immediate outbreak response needs while laying the groundwork for a more robust, data-driven public health system capable of withstanding future health threats.
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