Connected Development (CODE), a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) says it has partnered with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to launch Project Track–BHCPF to strengthen health security in Nigeria.
BHCPF stands for Basic Health Care Provision Fund, a Federal Government initiative established under the National Health Act (2014) to ensure access to essential healthcare, moving the nation towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Nankpak Cirfat, CODE Communications Officer, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja.
Cirfat said the initiative was an analysis and capstone project of the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, supported by Resolve to Save Lives, a non-governmental organisation.
He said the project was led by CODE Acting Chief Executive Officer, Hyeladzira Mshelia, alongside Abdulazeez Hussaini, to improve transparency, accountability and domestic financing for epidemic preparedness.
Cirfat quoted Mshelia to have said that the project sought to address accountability and evidence gaps undermining effective epidemic preparedness and response across the country.
“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,” she said.
Mshelia said the project would deploy CODE’s ‘#FollowTheMoney’ methodology, including Freedom of Information requests, policy reviews, administrative data analysis and a sub-national case study to assess preparedness outcomes.
She added that advocacy efforts would include policy briefs, structured engagement with oversight bodies and decision-makers, and strategic media engagement to strengthen public accountability.
Mshelia explained that BHCPF remained Nigeria’s primary domestic financing mechanism for strengthening the health system.
“Within this framework, the NCDC gateway is the only BHCPF channel that directly supports disease surveillance, outbreak response, laboratory systems, and emergency coordination.
“However, in spite 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.
“Nigeria’s epidemic preparedness and response capacity depends significantly on sustained domestic financing for health security.
“The project is designed to deliver measurable outcomes, including improved transparency on NCDC gateway disbursements, independent evidence to support oversight and performance assessment.
“It foster stronger data-driven advocacy for domestic health security financing, and a replicable accountability framework for tracking health security investments,” she said.
She described the initiative as a timely response to the need for transparency in utilising domestic epidemic preparedness resources, noting that strengthening health security required funding, accountability and continuous learning.
Ashenews reports that other partners include the Ministerial Oversight Committee on BHCPF, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, state ministries of health, emergency operations centres, civil society and media organisations.
