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By Doris Obinna
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and University of Lagos (UNILAG), have opened Nigeria’s first Behavioural Insights Research and Design Laboratory (BIRD-Lab). The first in Nigeria to apply behavioural science to child survival and development.
Stakeholders say BIRD-Lab is more than a research hub: “It is a promise to Nigeria’s children, a bold commitment to give them not just the chance to survive, but to grow, learn, and reach their full potential.”
Launched at UNILAG’s College of Medicine, this innovative hub is poised to transform efforts in maternal and child health by marrying behavioural science with evidence-based policy and participation-driven solutions.
The new hub, is only the second of its kind in Africa the first was established in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
UNICEF explained that for Nigeria, BIRD-Lab is more than a physical space; it is a networked experiment in collaborative governance and innovation. It represents a major leap forward in addressing child survival and development challenges through behavioural science. At its core, BIRD-Lab is about people: how they think, decide, and act and how those behaviours affect children’s health, education, and future opportunities.
It is spearheaded by UNICEF, UNILAG, Network of Behavioural Research for Child Survival in Nigeria (NETBRECSIN), Federal Ministry of Health and other partners. The lab brings together 19 universities including University of Ibadan (UI), University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Ahmadu Bello University, (ABU), Zaria, University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), University of Abuja (UNIABUJA), Lagos State University (LASU), Chrisland University, University of Benin (UNIBEN) and University of Jos (UNIJOS).
Through NETBRECSIN, this consortium forms a dynamic platform for cross-disciplinary collaboration, leveraging the academic strengths of each institution to advance child health.
National commitment
For UNICEF, the BIRD-Lab is more than a research project. It represents a national commitment to rethinking how programmes for children are designed and delivered.
Deputy Country Representative, Rownak Khan, said: “We want to know why people behave the way they do, and how that affects the success of interventions.
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“This knowledge will allow programmes to meet communities where they are, rather than where policymakers assume they should be.”
UNILAG Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, described the project as a model of multidisciplinary collaboration.
Former Chief Medical Director of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Prof. Akin Osibogun, said: “While developed nations have reduced mortality to single digits, Africa still struggles. This focus on behaviour is the right step to change the story for our children and mothers.”
Beyond laboratory walls
According to UNICEF’s Chief of Social Behaviour Change, Kshitij Joshi, the BIRD-Lab is not just a physical space but “an approach that unites universities, civil society, media, and the private sector.
“Students will generate data that academics will transform into policy briefs, which in turn will feed directly into government decision-making. The Federal Ministry of Health has already set aside space to ensure BIRD-Lab findings are embedded in national policy. This is just the beginning,” Joshi hinted, suggesting that more BIRD-Labs could soon spring up in universities across Nigeria.
Generating tangible results
The lab aimed to generate tangible results, particularly in maternal, infant, and under-five mortality, as well as immunization coverage. As Provost, UNILAG’s College of Medicine, Prof. Ademola Oremosu, put it: “We want to modify behaviours to improve health outcomes, embedding communities, especially mothers, at the centre of health interventions.”
“Modeled after the pioneering BIRD-Lab in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the Nigerian version builds upon a proven model of behavioural insight labs. The Ethiopian BIRD-Lab has focused on behavioral diagnosis, prototyping, capacity-building, and institutional partnerships to drive health and development outcomes in East Africa.
“These labs, virtual and physical, have served as centers for innovation informing national curricula, co-designing interventions, and strengthening the capacity of social behaviour change specialists,” stated UNICEF chief.
