On 27-28 April 2018, the NCD Alliance, working with the NCD Alliance Nigeria, helped bring together 24 civil society organisations (CSOs) over two days to develop a strategic plan of action for CSOs working in NCDs in Nigeria, for the period 2018-2022.

Key areas identified for action included:

• Creation of a mechanism for cascading strategies that CSOs can use in planning NCDs prevention and control activities: from the national level to the state and local government levels;
• The NCD Alliance Nigeria should establish a National NCDs Week to embark on sensitisation, advocacy and intervention activities for prevention and control of NCDs. It should be separate from the United Nation days and other sensitization days for individual NCDs and their modifiable risk factors.
• As Universal Health Coverage is receiving priority attention and many states in Nigeria are making efforts to establish state social health insurance, the NCD Alliance Nigeria should advocate for inclusion of NCDs prevention and control activities in the benefit packages.
• The NCD Alliance Nigeria should aggressively advocate for media owners in private and public sectors to see health issues as economic and development issues. Broadcasting health issues on NCDs should therefore be seen as part of their corporate social responsibility.
• NCD Alliance Nigeria observes with much concern the poor meagre allocations and even poorer disbursements to the NCD desk at the Federal Ministry of Health over the years. Consequently, and in view of the rising incidence of sudden death among Nigerians, the Alliance suggests as a priority the establishment of an NCD-Fund Nigeria, in collaboration with government, legislators, the private sector and other relevant stakeholders in finance, insurance and the oil sector.

Download the event programme