Nigeria has vaccinated more than 18 million adolescent girls against the Human Papillomavirus, HPV, as part of efforts to prevent cervical cancer and move the country towards eliminating the disease as a public health problem.
The milestone was disclosed amid renewed calls for Nigeria to strengthen cervical cancer screening, early diagnosis and treatment, with health stakeholders warning that vaccination must be complemented by accessible healthcare services for women at risk.
The national HPV vaccination programme was introduced in 2023, targeting girls largely within the 9–14 age group. The vaccine protects against HPV, the virus responsible for the vast majority of cervical cancer cases.
According to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Nigeria had vaccinated more than 17 million girls by July 2026. The government said it was working to expand last-mile vaccination through schools and community outreach, particularly for girls who are out of school.
The latest figure of more than 18 million vaccinated girls represents a substantial increase from the early stages of the programme. Between October 2023 and January 2024, about 4.95 million girls had received the vaccine during the initial rollout.
Health experts and stakeholders have nevertheless emphasised that vaccination represents only one component of the broader cervical cancer elimination strategy.
Speaking at a policy roundtable in Abuja on Tuesday, the External Affairs Director for sub-Saharan Africa at MSD, Vuyo Mjekula, said Nigeria needed to build on its HPV vaccination achievements by expanding screening and ensuring that women diagnosed with cervical cancer receive timely treatment.
The roundtable, organised by MSD in partnership with Africa Health Business, was themed, “Accelerating Cervical Cancer Elimination in Nigeria: Uniting Public and Private Sectors for Equitable Access.”
Mjekula called for greater collaboration between government and private healthcare providers, arguing that additional resources and partnerships would be needed to close gaps across the cervical cancer prevention and treatment chain.
She also advocated for more integrated women’s healthcare, suggesting that opportunities to screen women for cervical cancer and other health conditions should be incorporated into routine healthcare visits.
The Federal Government has set a 2030 target for eliminating cervical cancer as a public health problem and has aligned its strategy with the World Health Organisation’s 90-70-90 framework. The targets include vaccinating 90 per cent of girls with HPV vaccine by age 15, screening 70 per cent of women with high-performance tests by ages 35 and 45, and providing treatment to 90 per cent of women identified with precancer or cancer.
Despite progress in vaccination, screening and treatment remain significant challenges. The Federal Ministry of Health said in July that these were the weaker components of Nigeria’s cervical cancer response and that efforts were underway to expand HPV-based screening at primary healthcare facilities and strengthen referral systems.
The ministry also said Nigeria records about 13,676 new cervical cancer cases annually, with many patients diagnosed at advanced stages.
The importance of early detection has also been highlighted by the World Health Organisation, which says cervical cancer is preventable through HPV vaccination and that regular screening can identify precancerous changes before they develop into invasive cancer.
Globally, HPV is responsible for more than 95 per cent of cervical cancer cases, according to health authorities. Persistent infection with high-risk HPV strains can cause abnormal changes in cervical cells that may eventually develop into cancer.
Nigeria’s vaccination achievement therefore represents one part of a broader public-health effort. Health stakeholders say sustaining the gains will require continued vaccine availability, public awareness, reliable screening services, trained healthcare workers, affordable treatment and effective referral systems.
The increased involvement of private healthcare providers has also been proposed as a way of extending services beyond government facilities and reaching women who may otherwise have limited access to screening and treatment.
As Nigeria moves towards its 2030 elimination target, stakeholders are now urging authorities and partners to ensure that the progress recorded in vaccinating millions of girls is matched by improvements throughout the rest of the cervical cancer care pathway.
For millions of Nigerian girls who have received the HPV vaccine, the programme represents an important preventive measure. For the country to achieve its broader elimination ambition, however, health authorities face the continuing task of ensuring that women who remain at risk can access screening, diagnosis and treatment when they need them.
