Unveiled by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, and themed “Hepatitis Can’t Wait – Test. Treat. Eliminate”, the programme focuses on mass testing, treatment, and vaccination across the country’s 360 constituencies. The effort is being touted as one of Nigeria’s most ambitious public health undertakings.
Represented by Dr. Godwin Ntadom, Director of Public Health, Pate highlighted the scale of the challenge:
“An estimated 18.2 million Nigerians are living with hepatitis B, and 2.5 million with hepatitis C. The disease remains largely undiagnosed because symptoms often mimic malaria, leading to delayed treatment and high mortality rates.”
Economic and Social Implications
Beyond its health toll, hepatitis inflicts significant economic damage through productivity loss, healthcare costs, and premature death. According to Pate, Project 365 is designed not only to save lives but also to protect the nation’s economy from further erosion due to preventable disease.
A key funding mechanism—the Viral Elimination Fund (VEL)—has been established to boost hepatitis diagnostics, medications, and treatment access, while also encouraging local pharmaceutical production through tax incentives and regulatory reforms.
Community-Driven and Inclusive
Speaking on the structure of the campaign, Dr. Adebola Bashorun, National Coordinator of the National HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, and STIs Control Programme (NASCP), explained that Project 365 will operate at the grassroots level.
“This is a truly community-driven programme. Every single day for the next year, mass screening, treatment, and vaccination efforts will be rolled out across Nigeria’s 360 federal constituencies.”
Bashorun revealed that over 21 million Nigerians are currently living with hepatitis—8.1% with hepatitis B and 1.21% with hepatitis C. Those who test positive for hepatitis C will receive curative antiviral treatment, while individuals testing negative for hepatitis B will be vaccinated immediately.
He also emphasised the need for integrated disease management, especially for co-infected individuals living with HIV and hepatitis B, who make up 1.21% of the HIV-positive population in Nigeria.
Inclusion of Correctional Facilities
Recognising correctional centres as high-risk zones for hepatitis transmission, the campaign is also being expanded to custodial facilities. According to Dr. Ibrahim Ehizogie, who represented the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), a pilot screening programme initiated in Kuje Medium Security Custodial Centre in December 2024 tested 830 inmates by mid-2025.
Plans are now in motion to scale the programme across all 300 correctional facilities in Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
“Without including correctional facilities, total elimination cannot be achieved,” Ehizogie stated.
Global and Regional Support
The initiative has drawn international praise. Dr. Mya Ngon, WHO’s Team Lead for Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases in Nigeria, commended the country’s leadership role in hepatitis control across Africa. She reaffirmed the WHO’s support for Nigeria's efforts to scale testing, vaccination, and treatment, and integrate hepatitis into wider disease prevention strategies.
Africa CDC, represented by Dr. Oluyinka Olayemi, also expressed confidence in Nigeria’s strategy and reiterated regional backing for implementation and sustainability.
A Unified Funding Strategy
In line with Nigeria’s Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp), the government will merge the World Hepatitis Fund into a broader Basic Healthcare Provision Fund (BHCPF). This move is intended to create a flexible, scalable funding model capable of responding to emerging health needs.
The strategy aims to streamline hepatitis response with other health priorities, ensuring consistency and continuity in interventions.
Call to Action
Former Head of State and Nigeria’s Presidential Ambassador for Viral Hepatitis, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd), in a goodwill message delivered by Mr. Adeyeye Ajayi of the Gowon Foundation, urged collective action.
“Let us unite against hepatitis. We must break the silence, overcome stigma, and ensure no Nigerian dies of a disease we can test, treat, and eliminate.”
Looking Ahead
Project 365 is being lauded as a bold and necessary step toward achieving the WHO Global Health Sector Strategy and Sustainable Development Goal 3, which targets the elimination of hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.
With coordinated national action, political will, and public participation, Nigeria is positioning itself to lead the regional charge against a disease that no longer needs to claim lives unnecessarily.
“This is just Day One,” Dr. Bashorun said. “We’re committed to keeping this momentum going until hepatitis becomes a thing of the past.”