Health Experts at Abuja Symposium Identify Community Trust and Social Listening as Essential Pillars for Nigeria’s Pandemic Preparedness

Experts in Abuja urge Nigeria to use religious and local networks to build trust and combat misinformation in preparation for future pandemic outbreaks.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 31, 2026, 5:56 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Peoples Gazette

The Social Dimension of Global Health Security

A high level public health symposium held in Abuja on March 30, 2026, has reframed the challenge of pandemic management as a fundamental social issue. Liukui Wang, representing the Institute of Microbiology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, argued that the technical capacity to treat diseases is insufficient without a corresponding focus on human behavior. According to Wang, the success of any medical intervention depends heavily on the public’s trust in the information provided and their willingness to engage with institutional control measures.

Leveraging Indigenous Social Structures for Public Health

In the Nigerian context, health experts identified local religious organizations and community networks as the primary drivers of public perception. Wang noted that because churches and other religious bodies play a dominant role in shaping daily life, they are the most effective channels for disseminating critical health data. By empowering local actors such as teachers, transport authorities, and religious leaders, health agencies can sustain a level of trust that government institutions often struggle to achieve independently during times of crisis.

Lessons in Social Listening from the COVID-19 Era

Safiya Isa, the Director of Advocacy and Partnerships at Nigeria Health Watch, stressed that health authorities must prioritize social listening to understand community fears in real time. Reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic, Isa pointed out that misinformation often spreads faster than official data because it utilizes existing peer to peer channels. To counter this, she advocated for the rapid dissemination of accurate information through traditional rulers and ward development committees, ensuring that the official narrative reaches the same spaces where rumors originate.