Advancing Social Norms Practice in Nigeria: Lessons from academic partnerships for sustained training capacity on social norms in Nigeria

The Advancing Social Norms Practice in Nigeria Project brings together global social norms experts from five organizations (Centre for Gender Equity and Health, University of California San Diego (GEH/UCSD), FHI360, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Makerere University) to provide distance and on-the-ground support to Nigerian partners to build capacity on social norms for research and programs implementation. 

The project sought to integrate social norm theory, policy, practice, and research into pre- and in-service training to increase sustained capacity to apply a social norms-aware lens to social and behaviour change programs in Nigeria. Partners worked with university faculty and staff to build knowledge and expertise, integrate content into undergraduate and graduate programs, offer short-term certificate courses, and support practicum opportunities. 

This case study shares lessons from the work with faculty members from the Department of Community Medicine at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital and the Department of Sociology at Bayero University, the Nigerian academic partners on this project.