Every day, self-care advances in Nigeria; A woman self-injects her contraceptive at home. A young person can test for HIV in private. A pregnant woman recognizes a danger sign and knows to act. These everyday choices are guided by a national policy framework that is now undergoing its most significant update yet.
Why the National Guideline Review Matters
Nigeria’s National Self-Care Guideline was originally developed to support Sexual, Reproductive and Maternal Health (SRMH). Since its release, the global self-care landscape has evolved considerably, most notably with the World Health Organization’s updated 2022 Consolidated Guideline on Self-Care Interventions. At the same time, Nigeria’s own self-care health priorities have broadened to encompass the full Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, Adolescent and Elderly Health continuum.
Together, these shifts have made a comprehensive review of the national guidelines both timely and necessary. Importantly, the revision does not discard what already works. All twenty-six (26) of Nigeria’s original self-care recommendations for Sexual, Reproductive and Maternal Health are being retained. The guideline is instead expanding to reflect a life-course approach, covering the full range from pre-conception through elderly health, and introducing new guidance on non-communicable diseases, mental health, adolescent health, and humanitarian settings.
A Nationally Led, Multi-Stakeholder Process
The review is led by Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, through its Reproductive Health Division and Department of Family Health, with technical support from the Technical Self-Care Support Unit. White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria serves as co-chair within the national self-care coordination committee, supporting the Ministry in convening stakeholders and sustaining engagement throughout the process. Three (3) stakeholder review meetings have been completed, held respectively in Kaduna, Calabar, and Lagos states in Nigeria, with a fourth meeting underway to consolidate and validate all inputs into a single, agreed guideline document.
The process reflects a genuinely multi-stakeholder effort. Professional healthcare associations, including the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON), the Association of Lady Pharmacists of Nigeria (ALPs), the Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria (MWAN), and the National Association of Community Health Practitioners of Nigeria (NACHPN), have remained active participants throughout the review.
Beyond these professional associations, participation spans government regulatory and implementing bodies such as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), together with state ministries of health and development partners including the WHO, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
From Review to Implementation
The guideline review process has brought stakeholders together to examine the existing self-care framework, consider emerging national priorities, and align Nigeria’s approach with global self-care recommendations. Through successive review meetings, stakeholders have worked to strengthen the revised guidelines, integrate a life-course approach, and ensure that the updated document reflects the realities of Nigeria’s health system.
A costed implementation plan is also being developed to support delivery. This is critical because the success of the revised guideline will depend not only on its technical content, but also on the ability of government, partners, civil society, professional associations, and communities to translate it into practical action.
What Comes Next
The revised National Self-Care Guideline is expected to be launched at the planned 2026 maiden edition of the National Self-Care Conference. Once finalized, the guideline will mark an important milestone in Nigeria’s self-care journey and provide a stronger framework for advancing self-care across life-course.
In summary, this is more than a technical update to a policy document. It reflects Nigeria’s continued commitment to placing self-care at the center of achieving universal health coverage, while offering a model that other countries can draw on as they adapt global guidance to their own national realities.
Authors – WRA Nigeria team: Omolade Ogunlela (Programs & Advocacy Manager) ǀ Edirin Aderemi (Program Advisor) ǀ Oyare Oche (Media & Communications Officer).