Health Coverage Reaches More Vulnerable Families in Nigeria

ABUJA (ILO News) – Through the ILO's ACCEL Africa Project, funded by the Government of the Netherlands, families who previously had limited access to essential social services, have been enrolled in state health insurance scheme.

More than 3,600 women, men and children living in vulnerable cocoa-growing and artisanal mining communities across Ondo, Niger and Osun States have registered to the health insutance scheme and have now a pathway for accesing healthcare. For many households, this means that seeking medical care will no longer require choosing between paying hospital bills and meeting basic daily needs.

This initiative provides an opportunity for marginalized communities to benefit from health insurance coverage.

Hajia Habibah Umar - Niger State Child Rights Agency (NiCare)

Beyond healthcare enrolment, hundreds of vulnerable households were registered or updated in the State Social Register. As a result, they have now the possibility of receiving a broad range of other social protection benefits. Community members also received support to obtain or validate their National Identification Numbers (NIN), an important step towards accessing public services and social interventions.

A community outreach campaign was conducted across 16 cocoa-growing and artisanal mining communities in Ondo, Niger and Osun States, where awareness campaigns also helped families understand their rights to health care and social protection through sensitization sessions.

By linking health insurance, social protection and identity registration in a single community-based intervention, we expect that families will be better able to cope with shocks, protect their livelihoods and keep children in school rather than at work.

The knowledge gained has helped our community understand that protecting children and supporting families are important steps towards building a better future.

Saidu Umar - Village Head of Iwa Community

The initiative was implemented in partnership with the Ondo State Contributory Health Commission (ODCHC), the Niger State Contributory Health Agency (NiCare), the Osun State Health Insurance Agency (OSHIA), the State Operations Coordinating Units (SOCU), the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC).

The intervention forms part of the ILO's ACCEL Africa II Project, which supports efforts to eliminate child labour in cocoa and artisanal gold mining supply chains by expanding decent work opportunities and strengthening social protection systems for vulnerable populations across Africa.