Partnering for Impact: Supporting Nigeria’s National Polio Campaign with Real-Time Data Analysis 

Earlier this year, our team at DevGlobal traveled to Nigeria to support the first stage of the first National Immunization-Plus Days – a nationwide polio vaccination campaign led by the Nigerian government, in coordination with the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) and international partners. This stage of the campaign aimed to vaccinate all children under the age of five across 18 northern states. 

Working with our partners at Dev-Afrique Development Advisors (Dev-Afrique), we conducted analyses to help guide the campaign’s day-to-day decisions. Each afternoon, our team in Abuja used real-time data from vaccination teams to quickly assess campaign coverage and data quality for all 18 states. Teams combined this data with population rasters and settlement extent data from GRID3, which showed where people live and a standardized list of all settlements to make sure the data was complete and accurate across hundreds of local government areas (LGAs). 

To meet the needs of vaccination teams in a tight window of time, we established a daily 2:00 PM data cutoff and turned around detailed reports and visual presentations for the 18 states by 5:00 PM. To move quickly and accurately, we built a process that automated data analysis and the creation of PowerPoint presentations using Python, making it easier to share our findings at scale. Once results and recommendations were incorporated into each presentation, the presentations were delivered to state emergency operations centers in time for the state evening review meetings and subsequent reporting to the national emergency operations centre. 

Our analysis provided granular, LGA-level insights to campaign managers across all 18 states. Key metrics included: 

• Daily vaccination totals by LGA, as reported through mobile data collection tools used by field teams, with comparisons to estimated under-five populations to assess coverage gaps. 

• Maps showing geographic disparities and areas with potential vaccination coverage gaps 

• GPS precision analysis to flag problematic data entries and identify locations with consistently poor data quality 

This level of real-time analysis surfaced both operational successes and areas which needed immediate attention. In states where Dev-Afrique had field teams embedded, we saw clear performance improvements as local actors used the analytics to adjust their field activities mid-campaign. 

At DevGlobal, we’re experts in translating complex datasets into real-world results. Whether it’s conducting real-time analysis during national health campaigns or advising partners on technical and geospatial data, our team combines deep technical expertise in public health, geospatial intelligence, and data systems with a practical understanding of how impact happens. In Nigeria, this meant producing high-frequency, practical analysis for decision-makers within tight timelines, combining multiple data sources, and working side-by-side with local teams to enable data-driven decision-making at every level – from the ward to national emergency operations centers. 

This kind of work is at the heart of what we do: partnering with diverse stakeholders and leveraging technology to turn data into decisions.  

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