Using Policy to Guide the Development of New Intiatives

In the United States as in other countries, there is a push for sector-wide reforms. Particularly in developing countries where the focus is on poverty reduction, improving maternal and child health, striving for development, and the attainment of Millennium Development Goals, sector-wide reforms are currently ongoing processes. An example of a country where this is taking place is Nigeria, in West Africa. My research project capitalized on the ongoing reform to advocate for development issues that will pose problems for the society, but are not on the policy agenda. The idea behind this is that strategic planning is all about timing. And now is a good time for such advocacy. The product of the research – an advocacy paper – discussed issues like the emergence of non-communicable chronic diseases in Africa, and population ageing. The methods used secondary database analysis, policy reviews, informal interviews, a situational analysis in Nigeria, and analysis of reports and documents on these topics. The format of the advocacy paper described the nature of the problem, provided a background on the issues discussed, included an advocacy section that was directed to ministers of health, directors of national and international health organizations, and provided strategies that can be used in addressing the problem not only in Nigeria but in other African countries as well. In general, the project was intended to foster future work in the areas discussed, and to advocate for attention to unaddressed issues in countries like Nigeria.