Abakaliki
Global Fund GC7 Integrated Community-Led Monitoring Project for HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria has reeled out key achievements for Quarter 4 2025 to May 2026 in resource mobilization, infrastructural rehabilitation/support, service Improvements, health Systems strengthening, and community participation in the Local Government Areas of coverage in Ebonyi State.
Addressing journalist after a Stakeholders engagement meeting in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital, Comrade Okemini Ogbonna, State Program Officer, TB network, said, Since the commencement of implementation in Ebonyi State, the Integrated Community-Led Monitoring initiative has yielded bountiful successes in Quarter 4, 2025 to May 2026, in the area of resource mobilization, infrastructural rehabilitation/support, service Improvements, health Systems Strengthening, and community participation; community resource mobilization and Infrastructural revitalization through sustained Community-Led Monitoring (CLM) advocacy and stakeholder engagement, the Ochafu community in Igbeagu Ndietta Ward, Izzi LGA, successfully resumed healthcare services at the abandoned Ochafu Health Centre building project, which had remained stalled for over seven (7) years. Ogbonna, revealed that through collective community resource mobilization and renewed stakeholder commitment, significant progress has been achieved, including roofing, plastering, and ceiling installation. He however, explained that the accurate cost so far in Naira was not obtained, but the community leader confirmed that the community has raised over N5,000,000 since work resumed on the building site through contributions from community members, fundraising activities, and donations from philanthropists and illustrious sons and daughters of the community.
He noted further that in a quest to strengthened the facility security and Improved Healthcare Environment, the main gate of Ndigwe MDGs Health Facility in Igbeagu Ndiogbu Ward, Izzi LGA, which had remained damaged for over two (2) years, was successfully reconstructed and restored through a donation of N83,000 by one of the community’s illustrious sons who preferred anonymity. This intervention significantly improved the physical security of the facility, enhanced safety for healthcare workers and patients, and strengthened community ownership of health infrastructure.
Okemini emphasized that as a result of targeted advocacy interventions facilitated through the I-CLM approach, the faulty generator at Ikwuator MDGs Health Facility in Ikwuator Ward, Ezza South LGA, was repaired and restored to functionality at a cost of N15,000 from Comrade Chukwu Chika, thereby improving power supply and continuity of healthcare services within the facility. In addition, essential medical equipment, including a sphygmomanometer and glucometer, was procured for the facility at a cost of N57,000 by Mr. Aligwe Chidiebere to strengthen routine screening, diagnosis, and clinical service delivery.
In order to strengthened TB Case finding and Collaborative service delivery, the CLM initiative has further enhanced collaboration between TB Network-supported Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), Active TB Case Finding teams, and Caritas Nigeria (CCFN) through the implementation of PDX-supported TB outreach activities at Ndigwe MDGs, Ikwuator, and Amana PHCs. The outreaches significantly improved community sensitization, TB screening, and access to diagnostic services, resulting in the identification of two (2) Drug-Susceptible Tuberculosis (DSTB) cases within the Ndigwe community; all these identified cases have already commenced treatment.
The Ebonyi program officer revealed that the implementation of Integrated Community-Led Monitoring (I-CLM) activities has contributed significantly to increased community awareness, stakeholder engagement, and active participation in health system strengthening across implementation communities. Community members, traditional leaders, and local stakeholders now demonstrate improved understanding of their roles in promoting accountability, supporting healthcare interventions, and mobilizing local resources toward improving health facility infrastructure and service delivery.
According to him, the CLM intervention has equally contributed to strengthening communication and collaboration between communities, healthcare providers, implementing partners, and government stakeholders, leading to improved responsiveness to identified healthcare challenges. The initiative has also fostered stronger community ownership of healthcare interventions and reinforced the importance of collective action in addressing service delivery gaps within primary healthcare facilities across the implementing LGAs.
He called on the National and State Health Insurance program provider to extend the health insurance services enjoyed by the formal sector to other vulnerable citizens, particularly the poor. He equally advocate for adequate
funding of primary healthcare devoid of misappropriation or mismanagement to enable a robust public health program at all levels.
Prioritize health education and engagement, and empower the communities to embrace positive behavior change towards achieving success in malaria, HIV, and TB responses in Nigeria. In this vein, every ward should commit to health promotion and education programs to increase awareness of disease prevention and promote community participation in healthcare.
Commit adequate resources for the full and effective implementation of all planned interventions, including the involvement of the private sector, and community participatory approaches through advocacy and partnerships.
He enjoined community members to actively support and advocate for their Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) as community involvement is crucial in ensuring the sustainability and effectiveness of these centers; community support can manifest through volunteering, donating resources, or participating in advocacy efforts to secure increased funding and resources for PHCs.
Gender-Based Violence and Gender and Human Rights Issues
In Nigeria, gender-based violence takes many forms, including domestic, verbal, and physical abuse, rape, sexual assault, early and forced marriages, incest, female genital mutilation, acid baths, and outright killing. Women, men, boys, and girls continue to suffer all forms of degradation and deprivation in public and private spaces.
Civil Society for the Eradication of Tuberculosis in Nigeria is calling on all stakeholders to fight against cases of gender-based violence and urging all citizens to stop the perpetrators. “Let us not be silent. Let us pull our efforts together to rid this nation of this menace of gender-based violence…If you see something, please say something.”
He reiterated that there's urgent need to strengthen health systems and provide the necessary financial resources, with renewed political will to foster favorable collaboration. evidence-based and cost-effective interventions such as the Integrated Community-Led Monitoring need to be scaled up to include community-based service delivery models with a focus on people-centered care.
Ogbonna, affirmed that (ACOMIN) are working with the Institute of Humanp Virology Nigeria (IHVN) on the Global Fund GC7 Integrated Community-Led Monitoring (I-CLM) Grant. The purpose of the grant is to address gaps in the health systems and infrastructure for sustainable, efficient, and effective health outcomes, as well as to ensure that communities and civil society organizations are integrated into the healthcare response, such that all contribute their quotas in achieving positive results.
On the grant, the ATM Networks are using the Community-Led Monitoring approach to engage community stakeholders to become involved and own and support health interventions, particularly HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis (TB), by identifying gaps hindering effective service delivery and uptake such as gender, discrimination, stigma, jointly prioritize identified needs like domestic resources and improved infrastructure, and advocate for efficient healthcare service delivery. The implementation of the Global Fund-supported I-CLM grant across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is assigned to the Networks, with the TB Network coordinating 11 states: Ekiti, Lagos, Cross River, Rivers, FCT, Anambra, Plateau, Zamfara, Enugu, Ebonyi, and Bayelsa states. ACOMIN coordinates 13, and NEPWHAN 13, for effective coordination and monitoring. Under the TB Network, the project is implemented in 3 LGAs per state, covering a total of 33 LGAs, 99 wards, and more than 200 health facilities across all 11 states where the I-CLM mechanism has been applied.
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