The Better Opportunities for Optimal Services Targeted (BOOST) Immunisation Project has intensified its community engagement efforts in Kano State through a strategic advocacy visit to the leadership of the Kano State Tricycle Associations Forum (KASTAF).
The BOOST project, implemented by Save the Children International with funding support from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), is designed to reduce the number of zero-dose and under-immunised children across the state.
The engagement was conducted in collaboration with the Kano State Community of Practice on Immunisation, Budget Tracking, Advocacy and Accountability (KN-CoP), as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen partnerships with influential community groups capable of mobilising grassroots support for routine immunisation.
The Kano State Tricycle Associations Forum (KASTAF), one of the largest male-dominated associations in the state with an estimated membership of about 100,000 tricycle operators, was identified as a strategic partner due to its members’ daily interaction with residents across urban and peri-urban communities.
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During the meeting held at the KASTAF State Secretariat in Kano, the association’s leadership welcomed the initiative and pledged full support for the objectives of the BOOST project.
The forum committed to assisting in raising awareness among tricycle operators and their passengers, promoting compliance with immunisation schedules across communities, and addressing issues of non-compliance, including restrictions from some household heads that continue to hinder routine immunisation uptake.
Speaking during the engagement, representatives of the BOOST Project emphasised the importance of leveraging established community networks to enhance vaccine acceptance and ensure that children in underserved areas receive life-saving immunisation.
The advocacy delegation was led by the BOOST Project Policy and Advocacy Officer, Umar Ibrahim, alongside the Co-Chair of the Kano Community of Practice, Comrade Salisu Yusuf, and other members of the team.
Responding to the visit, the State Secretary of the Amalgamated Commercial Tricycle Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria (ACOMORON), Abdulkarim Yusuf, expressed appreciation for the initiative and pledged the association’s commitment to supporting the mission.
He noted that with thousands of members across the state, the association has the capacity to ensure that immunisation awareness messages reach a wide audience.
Yusuf further called on members of the forum to begin sensitising their families and communities about the importance of vaccines and the role they play in preventing childhood diseases.
The BOOST project, which commenced full implementation in 2023 will run until December 2027 across selected local government areas in Kano State.
Stakeholders said the collaboration with the Kano State Tricycle Associations Forum (KASTAF) marks a significant step toward community-driven efforts aimed at reducing preventable childhood illnesses and ensuring that every child has access to life-saving vaccines.