Communities in Zamfara, northwest Nigeria, face high levels of violence and insecurity. This has led to displacement, difficulties in accessing basic healthcare including vaccinations for preventable diseases and disruption in agriculture contributing to high levels of malnutrition. This state, like much of the northwest region, has traditionally been left out of wider humanitarian responses in Nigeria and there are therefore very few other humanitarian organisations working in this area.

In Zamfara, MSF works across four local government areas, Zurmi, Shinkafi, Gurmi and Talata Mafara. Our teams offer a wide range of healthcare responses including trauma care, surgical services, paediatrics, mental health support and reproductive healthcare and emergency referrals to Gusau federal medical centre and other specialised care hospitals in Sokoto. As Zamfara has high levels of malnutrition in all four areas, MSF offers malnutrition care for children. MSF operates four inpatient and 17 outpatient facilities for children suffering from malnutrition in Zamfara. Across these facilities, MSF teams treated 65,000 children for malnutrition in 2024. Overall, MSF medical teams responding in sevenstates spanning northern Nigeria have treated 354,000 children for malnutrition between January – November 2024.

MSF supports the State Ministry of Health at Shinkafi General Hospital and Zurmi General Hospital by offering reproductive healthcare services to women. Across these two locations, MSF teams gave 47,245 consultations to pregnant women and assisted 6568 deliveries in 2024. Across the whole of Nigeria, MSF teams supported 26,119 deliveries in 2024. These areas of Zamfara see a lot of violence and insecurity making it difficult for women to access maternal healthcare services. Nigeria has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world; thus, continuous sexual and reproductive healthcare services are crucial to reduce maternal mortality numbers.