April 7-9, 2022 • Hyatt Regency • Lexington, KY
Communication Strategies to Promote Comprehensive Well-being
Communication Strategies to Promote Comprehensive Well-being
Abstract: Social and Behaviour Change Communication Pathways to COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and Uptake in Nigeria
Nigeria is among the countries that have continued to feel the presence and impact of COVID-19. Despite the strategic response of the Nigerian government via measures such as cash transfer, economic stimulation and food assistance, the socio-economic impact of the disease is still very visible in the country. In March 2021, the country procured and imported 3.94 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, and has been committed to universal vaccination of its citizenry. But, it has not witnessed an accelerated acceptance and uptake of the vaccine. As of September 29, 2021, only 1.8 per cent of its estimated two hundred million people had been fully vaccinated against the disease which falls short of the World Health Organization (WHO) 10 per cent target. Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) is a critical component of the national effort at increasing vaccination coverage. The Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC), has been leading other stakeholders in driving the COVID-19 SBCC component in the country. Since the launch of the COVID-19 vaccination in the country in March, 2021, considerable SBCC interventions have been carried out to increase the uptake of the vaccine without optimal outcome.Consequently, the country has continued to witness the announcement of mandatory measures by the Federal and state governments. In August 2021, two states in Nigeria, Edo and Ondo, announced plans to make COVID-19 vaccination compulsory for all residents of the states. A week after the announcements by the two states, the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) similarly announced that it would sanction eligible Nigerians who refuse COVID-19 vaccines. However, the atmosphere in the country seems to suggest that for many Nigerians the planned mandatory actions by the federal and state governments appear to be arbitrary, authoritarian, coercive and capricious, having no place in their quest to find answers to their many questions regarding the existential reality of the disease and the goodness of the vaccine. It is argued in the paper that, the conception and implementation of Social and Behaviour Change Communication strategies along western values and practices have limited the unpacking of the rooted ways of life of the people which tend to have weakened SBCC programs targeted at COVID-19 vaccines acceptance and uptake in the country. It is recommended that any SBCC program aimed at bringing about widespread acceptance and uptake of the COVID-19 vaccines in the country should unpack the deeply rooted socio-psychological factors such as collective culture, collective reasoning, collective reaction, collective attitude and collective behavior. Overall, the paper is proposing that COVID-19 vaccines acceptance and uptake SBCC programs in the country be grounded in the community-led social and behavior change communication model. KEY WORDS: SBCC; Pathways; COVID-19; Vaccine; Acceptance and uptake; Nigeria