Nigeria Mass Media and Digital Interventions

Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria implemented a wide range of transmedia interventions on radio, television, mobile phone, and social media that were co-created with the government, implementing partners, community members and other key stakeholders. The co-creation process placed users and communities at the center of designing messages and ensured ownership.

Capacity Building

The project trained selected media, government, and implementation partners were trained in media content production and the effective use of media to achieve social and behavior change (SBC) goals. Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria formed and strengthened the linkages between media partners and state health agencies to promote symbiotic relationships between the press and official technical resources for health. As part of its capacity building activities, Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria advocated for media partners to contribute complementary airtime and studio time to produce content in regional languages. The project trained over 500 media and government partners in media content production for integrated SBC, tuberculosis (TB), malaria, and risk communication and community engagement.

Media Content Creation

Breakthrough-ACTION Nigeria worked with technical teams to create radio and television products—from scripting to post-production for mass and mid-media. The products addressed malaria, family planning (FP), maternal, newborn, and child health, COVID-19, Lassa fever, TB, yellow fever, and more. Some of the program’s more iconic radio and TV campaigns included Check Am O! for TB case detection, Mama Put for fever case management, Follow Who Know Road for COVID-19 vaccination, and “Everybody’s Doing It” for FP.

Radio Program Production

Entertainment-education radio programs such as Albishirin Ku!, Jide Ka I Ji, and Adventures of Wazobia allowed for a longer form of engagement to deliver messages that resonated on a deeper level with audiences. According to omnibus data collected in September 2023, reported exposure to Albishirin Ku! was 76%, Jide ka I ji was 47%, Mama Put was 67%, Everybody’s Doing It was 62%, Check Am O was 65%, and Follow Who Know Road was 53%.

Radio and TV Broadcast and Monitoring

The project strategically placed messages on TV and radio channels to reach intended audiences. Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria monitored stations for compliance and deployed omnibus surveys to ensure the audience was aware of the content and could recall messages. The project adjusted media plans based on reported exposure and recall to maximize reach.

Mobile Training Curriculum

Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria produced training materials using interactive voice response. The project delivered lessons over the phone and participants used their mobile phone’s keypads to respond to questions and navigate the course. The courses reinforced classroom training for community health volunteers, engaged health care providers on issues like fever case management and respectful maternity care, and helped community pharmacists identify and refer potential TB cases.

Mobile Games

The project designed “choose your own adventure” style games that could be played on mobile phones. Participants called the gaming platform and listened to engaging stories during which characters faced difficult choices that affected their health. Participants made decisions for the characters using their phone’s keypads and discovered the outcomes. The games were based on the stories and characters from the Albishirin Ku! and Adventures of Wazobia radio programs and the Check Am O TB campaign.