The Connected Development (CODE), a leading non-profit organisation advancing social accountability and citizen participation in governance, has launched a new project titled “Tracking BHCPF NCDC Gateway Funds for Strengthening Health Security in Nigeria (Project Track – BHCPF).”
The initiative is an analysis and capstone project of the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, supported by Resolve To Save Lives, led by Hyeladzira James Mshelia and Abdulazeez Abdulmalik Hussaini.
Nankpak Cirfat, communications officer, media relations of CODE, said on Monday in Abuja that the project is aimed at improving transparency, accountability, and domestic financing for health security and epidemic preparedness in Nigeria.
According to him, the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) remains the country’s primary domestic financing mechanism for strengthening the health system.
“Within this framework, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) gateway is the only BHCPF channel that directly supports disease surveillance, outbreak response, laboratory systems, and emergency coordination.
“However, despite the introduction of BHCPF 2.0 in October 2025 by the Nigerian government, which strengthened accountability and performance expectations, public visibility into NCDC gateway disbursements and utilisation remains limited, as Nigeria’s epidemic preparedness and response capacity depends significantly on sustained domestic financing for health security,” Cirfat said.
He also said that the project seeks to address critical accountability and evidence gaps that undermine effective epidemic preparedness and response.
He said, “Increased domestic financing commitments have not been matched with transparent utilisation data, weakening performance assessment and constraining policy-relevant advocacy. Through this initiative, CODE aims to generate actionable evidence within six months (January–June 2026) to support improved oversight, learning, and sustained investment in health security.
“Project Track BHCPF will apply CODE’s proven #FollowTheMoney accountability methodology, combining Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, policy and guideline reviews, administrative data analysis, and a focused sub-national case study to assess preparedness outcomes.”
He said that advocacy efforts will include the production of policy briefs aligned with national budget and oversight cycles, structured engagement with oversight bodies and decision-makers, and strategic media engagement to strengthen public accountability.
“Strategic stakeholders for the project include the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Ministerial Oversight Committee on BHCPF, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, State Ministries of Health and Emergency Operations Centres, as well as civil society and media partners.
“The project is designed to deliver measurable outcomes, including improved transparency on NCDC gateway disbursements, independent evidence to support oversight and performance assessment, stronger data-driven advocacy for domestic health security financing, and a replicable accountability framework for tracking health security investments,” he said.
Speaking on the initiative, Hyeladzira James Mshelia, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Connected Development, said, “This is a timely response to the critical need for transparency and accountability in how domestic resources for epidemic preparedness are utilised, and also strengthening health security is not only about funding, but about accountability and learning.”
With Project Track – BHCPF, Connected Development hopes to continue in its commitment to advancing transparency, accountability, and citizen-driven oversight in Nigeria’s health sector, while ensuring that domestic health security financing translates into measurable preparedness and resilience outcomes.
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