Exploring the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) in promoting the uptake of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for cervical cancer prevention in nine Nigerian states

Arising from abnormal growth in the cervical epithelium, cervical cancer is recognized as the fourth most common cancer affecting women globally. The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was designed to vaccinate girls against HPV by age 15 to prevent cervical cancer. Achieving this goal, among others, requires multisectoral partnerships and collaboration. Civil Society organizations (CSO - one such partner) are integral in advancing healthcare access globally. Despite CSOs’ notable achievements in the Nigerian health sector, the role of CSOs in facilitating HPV vaccine uptake remains underexplored in Nigeria. This study seeks to explore the contributions of CSOs in driving HPV vaccine availability and uptake among adolescent girls (ages 9–14) across nine Nigerian states. This study adopted a qualitative research approach to gather in-depth information from purposively selected representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs) across nine states in Nigeria. Eighteen (18) key informant interviews were conducted among the selected representatives. The recorded discussions were transcribed and coded (inductively and deductively) using Dedoose software (v9.0). Two themes and seven sub-themes were generated from the participants’ responses. Findings from our study revealed that CSOs played critical roles in addressing concerns about the HPV vaccine, educating people, raising awareness about the availability through ACSM, and establishing community trust to increase willingness to accept the HPV vaccine in the selected states. Approaches employed to support the state technical working group include health education and sensitization, advocacy visits to stakeholders, and capacity building. Challenges experienced by CSOs are limited funds and a limited number of mobilization personnel. Our study concludes that civil society organizations remain relevant players in the health space based on their significant contributions to optimizing health systems for better health outcomes.