Training
By Aminu Garko
Kano, Sightsavers, a global NGO committed to preventing avoidable blindness and promoting disability rights, has convened a two-day media partners’ meeting aimed at strengthening health communication in North-West Nigeria.
The meeting, held in Kano on Monday, brought together journalists across the region to foster media collaboration on public health, disability inclusion, and advocacy against neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in Nigeria.
Sightsavers Country Director, Prof. Joy Shuaibu, represented by Advocacy Coordinator Esther Bature, said the NGO, founded in 1950, had operated in Nigeria for decades, promoting health, education, and disability inclusion.
Bature said Sightsavers supported equitable access to healthcare, clean water, and education, especially for women, children, and people with disabilities, while advocating for inclusive development policies and equal employment opportunities.
She emphasised that the organisation worked to ensure persons with disabilities were not excluded from public services, policy decisions, or broader national development processes across the countries where it operated.
Mr Terhemen Sunday, Technical Manager for NTDs, said Sightsavers addressed five major neglected tropical diseases globally, collaborating with governments to strengthen healthcare systems and scale up treatment and prevention campaigns.
He added that more than one billion people were affected by NTDs globally, and Sightsavers focused on sustainable solutions through government partnerships and health system strengthening, especially in hard-to-reach communities.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the media meeting aims to deepen journalist engagement to amplify public awareness, promote behavioural change, and support policy implementation aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
NAN also reports that the participants hailed Sightsavers’ long-standing commitment to public health and pledged media support for ongoing advocacy targeting Nigeria’s most vulnerable and underserved populations. (
