By Doris Obinna
The Lagos State Government and Save the Children International (SCI) have launched the Better Opportunity for Optimal Services and Targeted Immunisation for Zero Dose and Under Immunised Children (BOOST Project) to address vaccine inequity.
The four-year initiative (2024–2027), funded by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), partners with the Federal Ministry of Health, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and health ministries in Lagos and Kano to immunise zero-dose and under-immunised children.
According to the 2022 World Universal Immunization Coverage Report (WUENIC), Nigeria has about 2.3 million zero-dose children, or 26.5% of children under one, ranking second globally in 2021. Alimosho Local Government Area (LGA) in Lagos recorded over 35,000 unvaccinated children, the highest in Nigeria. The BOOST Project targets Alimosho and Ikorodu LGAs in Lagos and Ungogo and Gezawa LGAs in Kano.
At a stakeholders’ workshop in Lagos on 15 April 2025, BOOST Project Manager Dr. Itunu Dave-Agboola outlined the initiative’s goal of creating sustainable immunisation systems through partnerships. “We aim to reach every unvaccinated child in Lagos while addressing workforce, funding, and policy gaps,” she said. SCI will collaborate with the Lagos State Accountability Mechanism (LASAM) to enhance access and reduce preventable child deaths.
The workshop united LASAM’s Evidence, Advocacy, and Knowledge Management & Communication subcommittees to finalise advocacy briefs and plan implementation. Dave-Agboola urged media to amplify awareness, stating, “Beyond event coverage, media can educate the public and push for stronger government and private sector commitment to immunisation.”
The BOOST Project reflects Lagos and SCI’s resolve to ensure no child misses life-saving vaccines, tackling systemic barriers to equitable healthcare.