Millions of people in Nigeria are living in increasingly vulnerable circumstances, especially in the northern states, where ongoing conflict, poverty, and climate shocks, such as flooding, are taking a severe toll on their health. 

Our teams worked in 12 of Nigeria’s 36 states in 2025, running a wide range of services, including paediatric and maternal healthcare; treatment for malnutrition, malaria, tuberculosis, and sexual violence; mental health support; reconstructive surgery for obstetric fistula and noma; and emergency responses during disease outbreaks. In reaction to surging needs, driven by increasing insecurity and diminishing international aid, we scaled up our activities throughout the year. 

Tackling the malnutrition crisis across northern Nigeria
Communities in northern Nigeria endured yet another year of catastrophic malnutrition, with the peak season lasting longer than in recent years. Our teams reported that malnutrition rates and admissions were persistently high, and that patient numbers had risen each year since 2022. 

Our teams treated hundreds of thousands of severely malnourished children in inpatient and outpatient therapeutic feeding centres across seven northern states. As well as medical stabilisation, we provided physiotherapy in Kano and Katsina states, using structured play therapy and motor stimulation to address muscle wasting, developmental delays, and restricted movement in recovering children. We also distributed nutritional supplements to children in Katsina as an emergency prevention measure. 

Additionally, in Katsina, we began a partnership with an organisation in August to offer cash-for-food assistance to caregivers of children with malnutrition. These funds help families purchase nutritious food and cover travel expenses for essential medical follow-up, significantly reducing the risk of relapse. 

Recognising the link between maternal and child health, we integrated mental health sessions and nutritional support for caregivers into paediatric feeding programmes.

Responding to emergencies and infectious disease outbreaks 
During the year, MSF responded to recurrent outbreaks and surges of cholera, measles, malaria, diphtheria, and Lassa fever across northern Nigeria. These outbreaks are often exacerbated by malnutrition, low vaccination coverage, poor living conditions, and limited access to healthcare. 

Between February and April, MSF teams treated patients and carried out health promotion activities in response to a meningitis outbreak in Kebbi and Sokoto states. We also launched a successful vaccination campaign to curb the rise in cases in Kebbi. 

In Borno, Sokoto, Zamfara, Adamawa, and Bauchi states, we implemented activities to combat diseases, such as vaccination campaigns, including large-scale measles drives, and indoor residual spraying and seasonal chemoprevention for malaria, and operated cholera treatment centres. In Borno, Kano, and Bauchi, we set up dedicated isolation and treatment centres for diphtheria and Lassa fever, where we provided patient care and trained local healthcare workers. In April, we successfully handed over Lassa fever care to the local health authorities in Ebonyi state. 

In Bauchi, we converted our seasonal Lassa fever response into a regular project, establishing a full-time presence within Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University teaching hospital. In addition to treating patients, we train staff, support research, and improve infection prevention and control measures. 

MSF responded to other emergencies in 2025, including floods in Mokwa, Niger state, where we distributed mosquito nets, medications, detergents, and other hygiene essentials, and set up handwashing stations. 

Saving women's lives through holistic care 
Nigeria accounts for roughly one in five maternal deaths worldwide.* In 2025, we continued to deliver free, specialised emergency obstetric and neonatal services, performed obstetric fistula repair surgery, and provided comprehensive services for victims and survivors of sexual violence, comprising both medical care and psychological support. 

Adapting activities to maximise impact 
In August, MSF launched an emergency care project in Gwoza general hospital, in Borno, a state affected by years of violent conflict. We rehabilitated the emergency department to include a resuscitation room, a wound-dressing area, and separate observation rooms for men and women. 

In December, we initiated a pilot programme to improve the availability of healthcare in underserved and hard-to-reach communities in Kaduna state. An MSF team trains and equips community health workers to diagnose and treat the leading causes of mortality in children under five, including malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhoea. The project also offers malnutrition screening and vaccination referrals, effectively decentralising healthcare to reduce childhood deaths in an area where health facilities are hardly available. 

During the year, MSF closed two projects in Nigeria. In September, we handed over our activities in Cross River, with a final donation of supplies, to the Ministry of Health. Since May 2022, we had been delivering comprehensive healthcare to thousands of people living in Akampa local government area, near the Nigeria-Cameroon border. Our teams operated two general healthcare centres in Akor and Old Ndibeji, serving communities where access to medical services was limited. 

In December, after 11 years of activities, we concluded our support to Gwange paediatric hospital in Maiduguri, Borno, with a donation of supplies. The hospital now provides free emergency care for children under 15, focusing on malaria and malnutrition, and has an intensive care unit and an inpatient feeding centre. 

Offering comprehensive care for noma patients 
MSF continues to provide inpatient care, reconstructive surgery, and nutritional and mental health support at the dedicated noma Children's hospital in Sokoto. We also organise community outreach activities to increase early detection. Noma – a neglected, disfiguring, and often fatal infection linked to malnutrition – primarily affects children under six years old. 

*UNFPA: https://www.unfpa.org/publications/trends-maternal-mortality-2000-2023