Public and Private Sector Engagement for the Saving One Million Lives (SOML) Programme

Timeline: November 2014 – November 2017 | Status: Completed

Nigeria

Project Overview

Improving health outcomes at scale requires more than government action alone. Sustainable progress depends on effective collaboration between public institutions, private sector organisations, development partners, and civil society actors working towards shared goals.

Between 2014 and 2017, the Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation (HSDF), with support from Solina Group, implemented the Public and Private Sector Engagement for the Saving One Million Lives (SOML) Programme project. The initiative was designed to strengthen partnerships and stakeholder engagement in support of Nigeria's flagship Saving One Million Lives Programme, a national effort aimed at accelerating improvements in maternal, newborn, and child health and other priority health outcomes.

The project recognised that achieving ambitious health targets required stronger coordination, clearer alignment of efforts, and meaningful engagement across sectors. By supporting collaboration and dialogue among key stakeholders, the initiative helped create an enabling environment for more effective programme implementation and greater collective impact.

Nigeria’s health sector involves a diverse range of actors, each contributing resources, expertise, and services. However, without effective coordination, opportunities for collaboration can be missed, leading to duplication of effort, fragmented implementation, and reduced programme effectiveness.

The Saving One Million Lives Programme required strong engagement across government institutions, private sector organisations, and development partners to ensure that interventions were aligned, resources were used effectively, and stakeholders remained focused on shared health goals.

HSDF worked with stakeholders across the public and private sectors to strengthen collaboration and support implementation of the SOML agenda. The project focused on:

Facilitating engagement between government and private sector stakeholders.
Supporting dialogue and coordination around SOML priorities.
Promoting collaboration to improve programme implementation.
Strengthening partnerships that contributed to maternal, newborn, and child health outcomes.
Encouraging alignment of resources, expertise, and interventions.
Supporting collective action to accelerate health sector improvements.

The project emphasised partnership-building as a critical component of achieving large-scale health impact.

The initiative helped reinforce the importance of multi-stakeholder engagement in achieving national health objectives. By fostering stronger relationships between public and private sector actors, the project supported a more coordinated approach to implementing health interventions and advancing the goals of the Saving One Million Lives Programme.

The work demonstrated how effective partnerships can enhance programme performance, improve accountability, and contribute to stronger health outcomes for communities across Nigeria.