EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES: NIGERIA LAUNCHES BIG SISTER MENTORSHIP TO TRANSFORM ADOLESCENT HEALTH OUTCOMES
PROGRAMME OWNER
Government of Nigeria — FMoHSW / NPHCDA / SWAp Office, with SMoH & SPHCDA in all 3 states
IMPLEMENTATION PARTNER
WCAHealth and State partner
FOCUS STATES
Enugu, Benue & Taraba States
BACKGROUND & RATIONALE
The ACCESS Programme is a national intervention aimed at improving access to quality, youth-friendly health services for adolescents and young people in Nigeria. It is supported by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) under the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) and implemented by West & Central Africa Health Options Ltd/GTE (WCAHealth).
In many communities, conversations around sexual and reproductive health remain limited, leaving adolescent girls without reliable guidance on issues such as menstrual health, consent, relationships, and access to services. Structural barriers, geographic, cultural, and social, mean that health facilities alone cannot close this gap. ACCESS addresses this through a community-embedded mentorship model
ABOUT THE BIG SISTER INITIATIVE
The Big Sister Initiative is a structured mentorship model designed to equip adolescent girls with accurate information, life skills, and support systems that enable them to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing. It works in two tiers:
Big Sisters
Community women trained as peer mentors. They are equipped with accurate SRHR knowledge, facilitation skills, and referral pathways to PHC facilities. Deployed immediately to their wards following training.
Little Sisters
Adolescent girls in programme LGAs, organised into cohorts by each Big Sister. They participate in safe, guided discussions on SRHR topics, are supported with referrals to youth-friendly PHC services, and benefit from peer-to-peer learning.
Through this approach, ACCESS promotes improved knowledge, positive health-seeking behaviour, increased utilization of youth-friendly health services, and contributes to shifting harmful social norms at the community level.
ACTIVITY IN BRIEF: MARCH 2026 TRAINING ROLL-OUT
This week, the ACCESS Project is conducting the first simultaneous three-state Big Sister Training across Enugu, Benue, and Taraba States (24–30 March 2026). A total of 60 Big Sisters (20 per state) are being trained in facilitation, SRHR knowledge, referral pathways, community engagement, and reporting. Each training is co-delivered with full representation from the State Ministries of Health and SPHCDA officials.
In Enugu State, the Big Sister training took place at De-Martins Mirage Hotel, Nsukka, and was attended by the Honourable Commissioner for Health, Prof. George Ugwu; the Assistant Sexual and Reproductive Health/Family Planning Focal Person, EN-SPHCDA, Mrs. Maureen Nwankwo; and other key stakeholders.
In his opening remarks, the Honourable Commissioner thanked the development partner, WCAHealth, for the Big Sister model aimed at addressing maternal mortality. He urged the selected Big Sisters to use the opportunity to effectively engage Little Sisters in their respective communities and wards using the structured sessions, referral systems, and community engagement approaches.
Prof. Ugwu stated that the Ministry is pleased with and fully supports the ACCESS Project in the state. He also used the opportunity to highlight key achievements of the Executive Governor, His Excellency Peter Mbah, including the ongoing construction of Type 2 Primary Health Centres across all wards in the state, among other initiatives.
KEY MESSAGES FOR MEDIA
- Government-led. ACCESS is a Federal Government of Nigeria programme, delivered through FMoHSW, NPHCDA, SWAp, and State health authorities. WCAHealth serves as technical implementation partner.
- Community-centred. Big Sisters are trusted community women (neighbours, mothers, peers) who extend the reach of health services beyond clinic walls into homes and wards.
- Adolescent health is a national priority. ACCESS directly tackles Nigeria’s adolescent SRHR gap by enabling informed decision-making, positive health-seeking, and reduced stigma.
- Three states, one week. The simultaneous roll-out across Enugu, Benue, and Taraba demonstrates the scale and government commitment behind ACCESS at the sub-national level.
- Contributes to reducing maternal mortality. By strengthening demand generation, referral pathways, and adolescent-friendly services, ACCESS contributes to Nigeria’s targets on reducing maternal and newborn mortality.
GUIDANCE FOR MEDIA REPORTING
For accurate and consistent media coverage, please use the following attribution
“The ACCESS Programme, implemented by WCAHealth with support from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) under the SWAp initiative.”
Media partners are encouraged to:
- Highlight the human impact capture real stories of change from the experiences of Big Sisters and adolescent girls.
- Ensure reporting is respectful, accurate, and free from stigma in its treatment of adolescent sexual and reproductive health.
- Prioritise visual coverage of training sessions, mentorship interactions, and community engagement not clinical or sensitive settings.
- Route all quotes, interview requests, and publication approvals through David Agunlofi (national media lead) before publication.
MEDIA CONTACTS
| Role | Name | Scope | Contact |
| Prog. Communications Lead | David Agunlofi | All States / National | +2348134601626, d.agunlofi@wcafrica.org |
| State Programme Manager | Sheye Sam Ibrahim | Taraba State | +2348067290653, s.ibrahim@wcafrica.org |
| State Programme Manager | Dr. Edward Abicha | Benue State | +2347032146059 e.abicha@wcafricahealth.org |
| State Programme Manager | Victor Adibe | Enugu State | +2349062205582, v.adibe@wcafrica.org |
