ROLE HEALTH POLICY ADVOCACY IN ENHANCING SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICE DELIVERY: INSIGHTS FROM HEALTH WORKERS AND STAKEHOLDERS IN ABUJA MUNICIPAL AREA COUNCIL, NIGERIA

Health policy advocacy is increasingly recognized as an important strategy for improving health and social welfare services in Nigeria. This study examined the role and limitations of health policy advocacy in enhancing social welfare service delivery in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).Data were collected through a survey of 184 respondents and in-depth interviews with health workers, social welfare officers, and policymakers. The findings revealed that while awareness of advocacy programs was high (70.7%), its perceived effectiveness was only moderate. Advocacy had a stronger influence on raising awareness of social welfare services (76.1%) and policy implementation (73.4%) than on actual access to services (67.9%). The identified major limitations include poor funding, inadequately trained personnel, weak policy enforcement, poor coordination, and heavy workload on social welfare workers. The study concludes that although health policy advocacy plays a significant role in agenda setting and awareness creation, its impact on service delivery remains constrained by deep-rooted structural and institutional barriers. The research highlights the need for more strategic, well-resourced, and sustained advocacy approaches that address implementation challenges beyond policy formulation.