How Africa Can Improve its Health Sector – Motunrayo Ogunrinbokun

What inspired your passion for health communication, and why are you advocating for changes in the African health landscape?

I have had my fair share of terrible experiences with health in Nigeria, and these experiences shaped my research interests from a young age. Growing up, I witnessed firsthand the difficulties of navigating fragmented health services. In 2016, I lost my father to complications that might have been preventable if communication and coordination between providers had been stronger. His passing opened my eyes to the human cost of misaligned health messaging and systemic gaps in the flow of information. It was a personal wake-up call, prompting me to study health communication more closely. Since then, I have dedicated my career to teaching and researching medical humanities. All research should benefit the public good, so I strive to ask tough questions and consider how my work can improve lives. 

Many people assume that advances in health hinge solely on scientific breakthroughs. From your perspective, what is the role of communication in health?

Communication is central to health. You might have the best physician in the world, but without clear, compassionate dialogue, even the most skilled medical expertise cannot improve patient outcomes. Every health situation necessitates a conversation that empowers patients to understand their conditions, evaluate their options, and take independent steps toward wellness. This is particularly evident in cancer preventive care. Screening programs for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer only save lives when people understand their importance, know how to access them, and comprehend what the results imply. Through clear explanations of risk factors, detailed guides to self-exams, and culturally tailored outreach, we promote essential health literacy that enables individuals to take those first and often hardest steps toward prevention.

For instance, mothers and young women can act as advocates when community health workers explain HPV vaccination through everyday analogies and localized examples. Women can discover that early detection offers a pathway to hope rather than stigma if radio dramas in local languages portray characters navigating screening appointments without shame or fear. These narrative and conversational strategies can demystify medical procedures, promote questions, and reaffirm that preventive care is a collective responsibility. In doing so, we transform passive recipients of health directives into informed partners. 

In the end, health isn’t something done to people, but something done with them. Strong communication practices transform medical interventions into collaborative journeys, where patients are informed advocates for their own well-being.

How can we address these health communication barriers?

In my work, I advocate for the systematic integration of the CLEAR framework into routine health services throughout Nigeria. I have traveled to several states in Nigeria and observed that while many clinics make commendable efforts to localize posters and outreach materials, most public health information remains in English. This disconnect means that critical messages about vaccination schedules, cancer screenings, or maternal care sometimes do not resonate with the majority of Nigerians whose first languages are Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, or Pidgin.

The CLEAR framework, which stands for Contextualized, Linguistically Appropriate, Engaging, Accessible, Responsive, provides a way forward. By contextualizing materials to reflect local customs and lived experiences, we help Nigerians see themselves in every poster or radio drama. The walls of miscommunication begin to crumble when information is delivered in the languages people actually speak at home, whether that’s Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Pidgin, or one of the hundreds of other tongues. We make health advice engaging by weaving it into stories and dialogues, rather than relying on boring directives. We combine clinic-based messaging with outreach through trusted channels, including market associations, faith-based gatherings, and neighborhood WhatsApp groups. Accessibility means meeting people where they are, literally taking messages outside facility walls and utilizing mobile voice services for those who struggle with reading. Also, by incorporating rapid feedback loops through brief community surveys or small focus groups, we remain responsive, continually refining our approach until understanding and uptake improve.

In practice, the CLEAR framework might include co-creating a breast-cancer screening guide in Hausa with local women’s cooperatives, training community health officers to facilitate question-and-answer forums in Igbo, or developing interactive WhatsApp chatbots in Yoruba that guide users through self-examination steps. By shifting from English-only bulletins to a multilingual, dialogic approach grounded in the CLEAR principles, we can transform health communication from an afterthought into a powerful, life-saving engine of change across Nigeria’s diverse communities.

Looking ahead, what must policymakers and practitioners prioritize to ensure these solutions take root?

They must invest in local capacity training for health workers and communicators in health contexts. We need to move from rhetoric to action so we can save lives. Technology platforms should also be designed from the ground-up for adaptability. If we shift from top-down broadcasts to dialogic, culturally responsive communication, then we can close the gaps that have held us back for so long.