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With increasing efforts to boost routine immunization coverage across Nigeria, the partnerships between government institutions and health-focused NGOs play a vital role in delivering results. In this interview, Pharmacist Ahmed Hashidu, the State Cold Chain Officer for Gombe State, shares insights into the impact of the All Babies program on routine immunization services, logistics support, and areas where further improvements can strengthen service delivery in his state.

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How has the All Babies program impacted routine immunization services in Gombe State?

Ahmed: First of all, I’d like to appreciate the services of New Incentives. Since its launch in Gombe State, the program has significantly improved immunization services across our primary healthcare system.

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One of the biggest gaps we previously faced was low turnout for routine immunization, but that has changed. Now, we’re seeing increased client flow, and parents or caregivers are more eager to attend immunization sessions. The small incentives given per session have made caregivers look forward to these visits—not just for the cash but also for the health benefits.

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The incentives create an opportunity for us to educate and enlighten caregivers about the importance of immunization. It’s not just about the money. The primary goal is to ensure their children are protected against vaccine-preventable diseases.

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The program has also helped strengthen the relationship between the health system, the community, and supporting partners like New Incentives. Overall, their involvement has been very helpful in improving access and engagement across the state.

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‍Has the program supported vaccine logistics in any way?

Ahmed: Yes, New Incentives has also been very helpful in supporting the logistics side of the immunization supply chain. There have been many occasions where we’ve reached out to them for logistics funding—especially for transporting vaccines from national or zonal stores to the state level.‍

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[All Babies’] support has played a key role in reducing vaccine stockouts, bringing [up] the rate in Gombe. We now collaborate closely with their team, monitoring our state’s vaccine dashboard every week to plan and manage stock levels effectively.

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That’s a major achievement, and we owe a lot of it to New Incentives’ timely support and collaboration.

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‍How do you think our services can be improved in Gombe?

Ahmed: The All Babies program has been doing tremendously well—so much so that other partners and agencies admire their work. But there are still areas where improvements could help.

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First, there’s the issue of human resource gaps. Gombe has over 540 RI-providing health facilities. All Babies staff can’t cover all of them at once. As a result, some caregivers prefer to wait until All Babies staff are present at the clinic before bringing their children, just to ensure they receive the incentive.

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We’re doing our best to educate communities about the value of vaccination beyond the incentive, but expanding NI-ABAE’s staffing capacity would help achieve wider and more consistent coverage.

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Another area is logistics funding. While the program has supported us well, there are occasional delays in the release of funds after requests are made. We would like to appeal for faster disbursement, so we can address needs in real time without disrupting services.

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Lastly, we’d like to see All Babies formally integrated into the state’s Logistics Working Group—just like partners from UNICEF, WHO, and others. Since they’re playing a key role in immunization delivery, it’s important for them to be part of state-level planning and decision-making.

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While New Incentives does not procure vaccines or play an active role in the supply chain, our supply-side officers work closely with local cold chain officers to identify and address supply issues and bottlenecks. And whenever there’s a need, we often recruit additional staff to cover the cases of staff resignation or promotion into new positions. Learn more about how we support government partners here: Supporting Government Partners with Vaccine Supply Efforts