LAGOS/Nigeria: Orodata Science, in collaboration with the Africa Data Hub (ADH), has launched a nationwide field exercise to determine whether government investments in 300 primary healthcare centres are translating into functional facilities and improved healthcare services for communities.
The exercise is designed to go beyond government budgets, expenditure records and official claims by physically verifying the condition of selected Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) and documenting the experiences of residents who depend on them.
Orodata said the project would combine field data collection, community engagement, investigative journalism and public reporting to provide evidence on the actual state of the facilities.
The organisation said the exercise was being carried out under a Federal Government mandate following reported interventions to revitalise and upgrade PHCs through relevant government health agencies.
As part of the exercise, trained community data collectors and investigative journalists are expected to visit more than 300 PHCs between August and October 2026.
The teams will document the physical condition of the facilities, verify the availability of equipment and establish whether healthcare workers assigned to the centres are available to provide services.
They will also collect geo-referenced information and engage community members and local leaders to obtain first-hand accounts of how the facilities are functioning and the challenges residents encounter in accessing healthcare.
Orodata said the exercise would provide an opportunity to compare information contained in government records with conditions observed at the facilities.
The organisation’s Programme Manager, Mr Uche Oti, said the project was intended to provide a clearer picture of what public investment in primary healthcare was achieving at the grassroots.
“We are moving beyond figures on paper to look at the reality on the ground,” Oti said.
He explained that comparing government budgets and procurement documents with conditions at individual health centres would give citizens, journalists and policymakers evidence with which to assess public spending and demand better healthcare delivery.
The field exercise builds on Orodata Science’s previous work in primary healthcare data and accountability.
In 2023, the organisation began collecting data from PHCs across Anambra, Benue, Cross River, Osun, Sokoto and Taraba states, with particular attention to facilities serving underserved communities.
The exercise produced the MyPHC Report 2024, which assessed 345 PHCs across the six states and highlighted challenges relating to infrastructure, service delivery and other aspects of primary healthcare provision.
The findings were intended to provide policymakers, healthcare institutions, journalists and communities with independently collected information that could support better planning and accountability.
The partnership between Orodata and ADH was subsequently expanded, with the organisations announcing in December 2024 plans to collect data from more than 1,000 additional PHCs in 10 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Their work also resulted in the development of CheckMyPHC, an open-access platform designed to provide information on primary healthcare facilities to citizens, researchers, journalists, health professionals and policymakers.
The platform has served as a repository for PHC information generated through the organisations’ data-collection activities, enabling users to examine conditions at facilities and identify gaps requiring attention.
Orodata and ADH have also used the data to strengthen journalism around healthcare accountability.
In 2025, selected newsrooms received training from the organisations in data journalism, fact-checking, data visualisation and solutions journalism. The initiative later contributed to a PHC Energy Report examining electricity challenges affecting primary healthcare facilities.
The organisations also organised a PHC data hackathon in 2025, giving participants access to datasets covering areas including infrastructure, service delivery, welfare, inclusivity and telecommunications.
The latest exercise places greater emphasis on tracking public investment and establishing whether funds reportedly committed to PHC revitalisation are reflected in the facilities themselves.
Orodata said the findings from the fieldwork would be cleaned and validated before being published through the Africa Data Hub and integrated into the CheckMyPHC platform.
Investigative journalists participating in the project will also use the verified data and field observations to develop reports supported by analysis and interactive dashboards.
The findings are expected to be presented at a public town hall scheduled for October, where government officials, community leaders, health experts and citizens will have an opportunity to examine the evidence and discuss possible solutions.
Orodata said the focus on PHCs was important because the facilities remain a major point of contact with the healthcare system for people living in rural and underserved communities.
The organisation noted that continued public expenditure on the revitalisation and upgrading of PHCs made it necessary to establish whether such investments were resulting in functioning infrastructure, adequate equipment, available health personnel and improved access to basic healthcare.
Orodata Science is a civic technology organisation focused on the use of data, technology, research and journalism to promote transparency, civic participation and public accountability across Africa.
The Africa Data Hub is a network that supports data-driven journalism through access to verified data, technology tools, training and mentorship.
The outcome of the latest assessment is expected to provide fresh evidence on the condition of primary healthcare facilities and help determine whether government investments are producing the intended impact at the community level.
