The Lagos State Accountability Mechanism for Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent Health and Nutrition (LASAM) has reaffirmed its commitment to bridging the immunization gap among children in Lagos State by participating in a crucial one-day advocacy workshop focused on zero-dose and under-immunized children.
The workshop, held on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at the Dover Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos, was organised under the Better Opportunity for Optimal Services and Targeted Immunisation for Zero Dose and Under Immunised Children (BOOST) Project. It is a four-year project that runs till 2027as an initiative of Save the Children International (SCI).
The BOOST Project is supported by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and implemented in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and the Primary Health Care Boards of Lagos and Kano States. In Lagos, the project specifically targets Alimosho and Ikorodu Local Government Areas (LGAs), both known for having high numbers of zero-dose children, those are children who have never received any vaccines.
The BOOST
During the workshop, Dr. Itunu Dave-Agboola, the Lagos State Project Manager and Advocacy Coordinator for the BOOST project, explained the strategic importance of the initiative. “By zero-dose children, we mean those who have never been vaccinated. Under-immunized children are those who started but did not complete their immunization schedule. Our focus is on reaching these vulnerable groups through targeted advocacy and collaboration,” she said.
Dr. Dave-Agboola emphasized that the BOOST project in Lagos is not just about vaccines but about sustainability. Key to this, she noted, is engaging advocacy partners like LASAM to help create an enabling environment through improved policies, funding, and human resources for immunization services.
The workshop brought together members of LASAM’s Evidence, Advocacy, and Knowledge Management & Communication (KMC) subcommittees. Their main task was to finalize and harmonize advocacy briefs developed during an earlier session and strategize the next steps for effective implementation. The briefs focus on areas such as sustainable immunisation funding, community engagement, health workforce strengthening, and accountability mechanisms.
Also in attendance were key LASAM leaders, including Co-Chair Dr. Landry Sagbo, Baruwa Basit (Chairman, Evidence Subcommittee), Sola Hassan (Chairperson, Advocacy Subcommittee), and Sola Ogundipe (Chairperson, KMC Subcommittee). Other co-chairpersons, secretaries, and members of the subcommittees contributed their expertise, reinforcing LASAM’s multi-sectoral approach to health advocacy.
Commitment to Improving Health Outcomes
This engagement underscores a shared commitment to improving child health outcomes in Lagos. Nigeria accounts for over 2.2 million zero-dose children in 2021, the second-highest globally and the BOOST project’s focus is timely and essential. According to the 2022 World Universal Immunization Coverage (WUENIC) report, approximately 26.5% of Nigerian children under the age of one had never received a single vaccine dose.
Alimosho LGA alone, the most populous in Lagos State, recorded over 35,000 zero-dose children. This is the highest of any LGA nationwide. Kosofe LGA followed with around 17,000 zero-dose children and over 17,000 partially immunized children, signalling an urgent need for strategic action.
Initiatives like BOOST and the involvement of community-led platforms like LASAM, stakeholders are optimistic about reversing these trends and ensuring every child in Lagos gets a fair start in life through complete immunisation.
