In May 2022, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) started activities in Cross River State, seeking to address healthcare access challenges faced by people living in remote, rural areas exacerbated by the influx of refugees from neighbouring country, Cameroon.

The state, located in southern Nigeria, has for long faced significant gaps in healthcare delivery, including limited infrastructure, difficult terrain, understaffed facilities, drug shortages, and poor accessibility, particularly during the rainy season when roads become impassable, bridges collapse or become hazardous, and communities are cut off from essential services. These barriers contribute to high rates of morbidity and mortality, especially among vulnerable groups such as children under five and pregnant women.

MSF services focused on supporting and strengthening local health systems, focusing on primary healthcare, maternal and child health, and emergency services. MSF supported two outpatient facilities in Akamkpa Local Government Area, delivering comprehensive medical care aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality among young children and mothers. This included primary healthcare services, basic emergency obstetric and newborn care (BEmONC), community awareness initiatives to promote health-seeking behaviour, capacity building for local staff through training, and the establishment of effective referral systems to ensure life-saving transfers for complicated cases to tertiary hospitals.

In September 2025, MSF concluded its Cross River project after three years of operation in the state, handing over all services to the state Ministry of Health