Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH) Week in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, has long followed a predictable script: state-funded immunization and maternal and child health services, with family planning rarely built into the plan. That changed within days of The Challenge Initiative (TCI) re-engaging with the state in 2026.
A single technical planning session between TCI and the State Family Planning Coordinator was enough to turn the state-funded MNCH Week Phase One, held in June, into a fully integrated family planning service delivery platform, without adding any extra cost to the campaign budget. The shift came down to state and local government ownership rather than a new parallel program.
From Performance Data to Implementation
Using local government area (LGA) performance analytics drawn from routine family planning data and TCI's data-use coaching model, State FP Coordinator Enobong Eshiet and the TCI team worked with LGA family planning supervisors to pinpoint which LGAs and facilities needed the most attention. Dashboards flagged where FP uptake was lowest, where opportunities were being missed, and where community mobilization was weakest. This information shaped exactly how FP services would be woven into MNCH Week.
LGA FP supervisors then took the lead during the campaign itself, coordinating commodity logistics so the right mix of modern contraceptive methods reached target Primary Health Care Centers and Health Posts, supervising service delivery, and working with community mobilizers to make sure clients knew FP was available alongside routine MNCH services. Across the ten LGAs it supports in Akwa Ibom, TCI integrated family planning into the existing state-funded campaign rather than creating a separate, stand-alone effort.
Evidence That Service Integration Works
The early numbers bear out the approach: 10,101 clients received FP counseling during MNCH Week, and 7,358 became new FP clients. For many LGAs, it was the first time family planning data had been systematically captured during MNCH Week at all. This provides evidence that integration of MNCH and family planning services is something government structures can execute when they're in the lead.
As the Reproductive Health Supervisor for Onna LGA put it: "Service integration in Primary Health Care is a strategy all the LGAs are buying into. The MNCH Week was a great opportunity to demonstrate that service integration is cost-efficient. We used resources from the MNCH Week to increase FP service uptake in Akwa Ibom."
The Akwa Ibom experience captures a core piece of TCI's approach: work through government-owned platforms instead of building parallel systems, and use data coaching to turn government staff into data owners rather than passive data reporters. Sustainability wasn't an afterthought here, it was designed into every step, from planning through delivery.
Stories like this one reflect exactly the kind of locally-led, evidence-based programming the Gates Institute prioritizes across its portfolio. By strengthening existing government-funded systems and staff, TCI’s work in Akwa Ibom shows how local leadership and good data can sustainably expand access to family planning—even without additional funding.
