Collaborative Efforts to End TB in Nigeria: Highlights from a Landmark Consultative Meeting

In his opening remarks, Hon. Amobi Ogah, Chairman of the House Committee HIV/AIDs, Tuberculosis and Malaria, emphasised the importance of the meeting. He pledged to work diligently and collaboratively with all stakeholders to ensure progress towards ending TB in 2035, in alignment with the WHO End TB Strategy target. Hon Ogah added, “the Parliamentary Consultative forum serves as an opportunity for learning and knowledge exchange, which will help members of the committee to address various concerns related to ending Tuberculosis”.

Enhancing TB Care and Services: Key Points for the National Assembly

Associate Professor Toyosi Adekeye, the Research Uptake Manager for the LIGHT Consortium and a faculty member at the Department of Community Medicine and Primary Health Care, provided a brief overview about the LIGHT Consortium and its scope of work. He explained that it is a six-year, cross-disciplinary global health research programme, funded by UK Aid, and led by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine with partners in Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda, and the UK. LIGHT aims to inform TB- related policies and practices through generating new evidence on the effectiveness of gender-responsive approaches to health for people living with TB. LIGHT’s work seeks to improve health, socio-economic and equity outcomes, contributing to national and global efforts to end TB. Adekeye raised some key points to the House Committee, focusing on the need to:

• Advance evidence-informed TB policies at the National Assembly.
• Direct resource appropriation for improved TB care and services in Nigeria.
• Monitor health budget allocations to ensure funds reach designated ministries.
• Advocate for TB inclusion in both national and local health agendas.
• Ensure government accountability to global and national commitments and recommendations outlined in the political declaration of the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting, the Abuja Declaration and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Collaborate with other ministries to advocate for social protection for people and communities affected by TB.
• Facilitate community-led participatory actions in constituencies to raise awareness and address stigma and discrimination associated with TB.

Gender Disparities in TB Diagnosis and Treatment

Dr. Ebuka Ugwu, an Early Career Researcher with the LIGHT Consortium, provided a brief overview of the global TB burden and access to care. He highlighted that “TB continues to be one of the most lethal single infectious agents worldwide with 1.3 million deaths in 2022, surpassing the combined deaths from malaria, HIV/AIDS and Ebola”. Dr Ugwu noted that Nigeria ranks highest in TB burden in Africa and sixth globally, with 98,000 deaths of TB in a year - equating to 268 daily deaths and an average of 11 deaths every hour from a preventable and curable disease. He underscored that men are most affected by the TB burden, comprising 70% of all persons diagnosed with TB in Nigeria. Yet, men often experience delays in seeking and receiving treatment, indicating the importance of adopting gender-responsive outreach approaches targeting men.

Moving Forward

The Consultative Meeting concluded with the House Committee proposing quarterly meetings with key stakeholders. Building on the success of this meeting, the committee emphasised the necessity of continued collaborative efforts to address the TB epidemic effectively. They requested that each stakeholder package their ask in clear terms to facilitate  presentation to the National Assembly. The committee reiterated its commitment to fostering a strong partnership with the ZRC and the LIGHT Consortium.