# From Data Gaps to Data Strength — A Virtual Nutrition Story of Change **URL:** \ **Category:** Nutrition\ **Tags:** nutrition\ **Created:** [4 September 2026 15:21 UTC](https://community.dhis2.org/t/from-data-gaps-to-data-strength-a-virtual-nutrition-story-of-change/76578 "2026-09-04T15:21:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AgwaJacob](https://dhis2.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/community.dhis2.org/agwajacob/32/50405_2.png) [@AgwaJacob](https://community.dhis2.org/u/AgwaJacob)\ **Post date:** [4 September 2026 15:21 UTC](https://community.dhis2.org/t/from-data-gaps-to-data-strength-a-virtual-nutrition-story-of-change/76578/1 "2026-09-04T15:21:37Z")
**[From Data Gaps to Data Strength — A Virtual Nutrition Story of Change](https://community.dhis2.org/#DataGapsToDataStrength%20#NutritionData%20#NutritionStoryOfChange)** _ **In 2022, a quiet but critical discovery reshaped Nigeria’s nutrition data landscape.** _ UNICEF Nigeria, working alongside government partners and the regional office, conducted a nationwide landscape assessment of routine nutrition data. What they found was concerning: Vitamin A campaign data were largely missing from national systems, nutrition indicators were inconsistently defined, and the quality and use of available data were low. These gaps meant that national nutrition service coverage figures — the very statistics used to plan life-saving interventions — were often inaccurate. Behind every missing data point was a child unreached, a community underserved, and decisions made without the full picture. The assessment did more than diagnose the problem — it prescribed solutions. Recommendations ranged from integrating campaign and facility Vitamin A reporting to standardising sub-national population estimates, cleaning up nutrition indicators in DHIS2, developing standard operating procedures, and strengthening national capacity for data use. ![Nutrition1](https://dhis2.b-cdn.net/uploads/default/original/3X/a/9/a9aff3cb328563d28936adbed05f62aa5f15c88c.png) Vitamin A Campaign Missing ![|576x241](file:///C:/Users/hp/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip\_image002.jpg) **Vitamin A campaign data missing** To turn these recommendations into action, UNICEF engaged **HISP Nigeria** HISP WA for an initial eight-month assignment beginning November 16, 2023. While implementation delays required an extension to December 2024, the additional time allowed for deeper system strengthening and stakeholder engagement. **Building Systems That Work** Drawing on years of collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) on DHIS2, HISP Nigeria stepped in to reinforce the digital backbone of nutrition reporting. Their work focused on maintaining and optimising the national database — ensuring servers ran daily without interruption, safeguarding data through routine backups, upgrading system versions, and troubleshooting imports from the National Health Management Information System. **But technology alone does not transform systems — people do**. **Training the Frontline of Data** In 2025, the project evolved into post-deployment technical support for the **MNCH Week Campaign Data Module** , reaching across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. Through two virtual training rounds and a physical workshop in Lagos, more than **1,000 Monitoring & Evaluation officers, nutrition focal persons, and HMIS teams** were trained to accurately enter, validate, and analyse campaign data. Participants came from every tier of the health system — state nutrition officers, SHMIS officers, and LGA M&E teams — each playing a role in ensuring that every Vitamin A dose delivered was also counted. ![Nutrition5](https://dhis2.b-cdn.net/uploads/default/original/3X/4/7/4725f78a03efa5a1dc0a14df37c08585e19aecad.jpeg) ![|576x338](file:///C:/Users/hp/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip\_image004.jpg) Practical sessions guided participants through DHIS2 data entry, validation processes, and dashboard analytics. For many, it was the first time campaign data were clearly separated from routine facility reporting—a change that would prove transformative. **A Clearer Picture Emerges** As data began to flow through the strengthened system, the impact was immediate. Dashboards once clouded by duplicated or mixed data began to show clean, reliable trends. Calculated indicators — including total Vitamin A administered — could now be visualised in real time. States reported fewer anomalies. National teams gained clearer insight into coverage gaps. Decision-makers could finally see where children were being reached — and where they were not. ![Nutrition3](https://dhis2.b-cdn.net/uploads/default/original/3X/2/4/24345385bce863d586073cadd91958f876f36306.png) ``` ***No missing Data January to June 2026*** ``` **Beyond Technology: Strengthening Collaboration** The initiative also deepened collaboration between the Federal Ministry of Health, UNICEF, and state governments. Regular mentorship, real-time troubleshooting, and continuous user support ensured that data reporting remained timely and complete. Even challenges — such as poor internet connectivity and limited virtual engagement — became learning opportunities, shaping recommendations for hybrid trainings, longer practical sessions, and sustained mentorship. **The Human Impact of Better Data** Today, Nigeria’s nutrition data system tells a more accurate story. Campaign and routine data are distinct. Dashboards provide actionable insights. Officers across all levels are more confident in using data for planning and response. And while the work continues, one truth is clear: When data improve, decisions improve. When decisions improve, services reach more children. And when services reach more children — lives are saved. Nigeria forward ever, backward never _ **#DataGapsToDataStrength #NutritionData #NutritionStoryOfChange** _