By Stanley Nwako
The Anambra State Ministry of Health has commenced a three-day Health Promotion Strategic Implementation Plan Workshop aimed at strengthening and coordinating health promotion activities across the state.
The workshop, supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and other development partners, is holding from August 10 to 12, 2026, at Best Western Hotel, Awka.
The workshop is designed to develop a comprehensive and context-specific strategic framework to guide health promotion and communication interventions in Anambra State over the next five years.
Speaking on the purpose of the workshop, Olumide Adetioye, Consultant with the Advancing Integrated Health Services for SRHR and Communicable Diseases Project, WHO, noted that fragmented health promotion efforts among various programmes and partners had resulted in inefficiencies, diluted messaging and suboptimal impact on population health outcomes.
Adetioye said the workshop therefore seeks to promote greater coordination, harmonisation and evidence-based programming in the state.
The key objectives of the workshop include establishing a shared understanding of the health promotion landscape in Anambra State, aligning and contextualising the National Health Promotion Framework to the peculiar needs of the state, and co-developing a five-year operational roadmap for health promotion activities.
The first day featured registration, introductory and housekeeping sessions, followed by welcome remarks by the Director of Public Health, Dr. Afam Anaeme, who represented the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike.
Goodwill messages were also delivered by representatives of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), the World Health Organization, UNICEF and other development partners.
Participants were taken through the objectives of the workshop and an overview of the State Health Promotion Programme. A consultant also presented the summary findings of the Communication Gaps Assessment, highlighting key areas requiring attention to improve health promotion and communication interventions across the state.
The programme further featured an introduction to the State Health Promotion and Communication Framework, followed by a group session on the SWOT Analysis of the Health Promotion Programme in Nigeria. Participants subsequently presented the outcomes of their group discussions.
Other sessions focused on defining the strategic direction of health promotion in Anambra State, including the development of its vision, mission and goals, as well as an introduction to the proposed strategic objectives.
Participants also worked in groups to identify strategic objectives and priority intervention areas, with presentations made by the various groups.
The workshop is expected to provide a platform for stakeholders to collectively develop practical, sustainable and locally responsive strategies for improving health promotion across Anambra State.
At the end of the exercise, stakeholders are expected to produce a five-year operational roadmap that will provide clear direction for coordinated, strategic and evidence-based health promotion and communication interventions in the state.
The initiative is expected to strengthen collaboration among government institutions, development partners and other stakeholders, while ultimately contributing to improved health outcomes for the people of Anambra State.
